The Black Perspective: March, 16, 2025

This week on the Black Perspective, Andrea Coleman shares the inspiring story of former prisoner Andre Norman and his journey to redemption.

Morgyn Wood sits down with veteran journalist April Ryan, the longest-serving Black White House correspondent, to discuss her career and insights from covering multiple administrations. 

Kevin Brown speaks with civil rights advocate and Revolt News Chief Political Correspondent Tezlyn Figaro, host of the Straight Shot No Chaser podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network.

Gracie Award winner Esther Dillard presents another edition of The Color Between the Lines, and we hear commentary from Mo Kelly and Roland Martin. Don’t miss this powerful and thought-provoking episode!

Listen now! 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Sunday, March sixteenth, and on today's show, Andrea Coleman
has a positive story about former prisoner Andre Norman. Morgan
Wood talks to the longest running Black White House correspondent
and journalist April Ryan. Kevin Brown talks to civil rights
advocate Tesden Figaro, and we get another segment of the
Color between the Lines from Gracie Award winner Esther Dillard,

(00:21):
and we get commentary from Moe Kelly and Roland Martin.
These stories and more are coming your way on today's program.
Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
on the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on
issues important to the black community.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Good Sunday, everyone, and Welcome to the Black Perspective. Getting
out of prison and staying out can be challenging for
many returning citizens. A study by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics show sixty six percent of people released from prison
returned within three years, and eighty two percent are back
behind bars within ten years. Andre Norman bucked that trend.

(01:01):
He not only got out and stayed out of prism
but he's now helping other people do the same. The
Black Information That Works. Andrea Coleman has his story.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Andre, thank you so much for joining us on the
Black Information at Work today. Tell us a little bit
about your story, which is so inspiring.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
My story is somewhat classic in the beginning, and then
it's classic if you're reading novels towards the end. Grew
up in Boston, Massachusetts, in the trouble to home. My
mom and dad used to fight a lot. They call
it domestic violence. Now in the seventies was called handling
your household. So I grew up watched my mom go
through domestic violence and it was just a tough time

(01:36):
being four years old and seeing that happened to your
mom and trying to process it as I got older.
I got old enough to go to school and it
was a phenomenal thing. But unfortunately I went to school
during the bussing crisis of Boston with kids who line
up on the side of the roads and throw rocks
at I bust and call us names because it was
a new thing blacks in white's going to school together.
I didn't go to a white school. My buses went
through a white neighborhood. Then one day we get through

(01:58):
that and then my dad my mom they break up
and he moves out. They got a single mom, six
kids living in the city and it's just tough.

Speaker 5 (02:05):
We move around. I go to a new school. Third grade.
They found out that I'm literate, just like my dad.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
And in the seventies they had a thing called the
dummy class where they would take you to the end
of the hall and it's put you in the classroom
and close the door, and they accepted that you couldn't
read rite account and that was just going to be
your fate. And luckily for me, Miss Oliver, my third
grade teacher, took me out of that class. She said,
you're not a dummy, you just learned differently, and I'm
going to take your time to teach you your learning style.
And she did fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade. I

(02:33):
found out they were poor because kids making fun of
me for dirty clothes, free lunch kid and the rest.
So my buddy said, hey, we can go to the
park and hustle after school and make a couple of dollars.
So we would go to the park and we were
runners for the weed dealers. We weren't the dealers. The
older kids would send us across the street to pick
up the packages of weed, run back and forth, and

(02:54):
I did that from like three o'clock to six o'clock
and maybe three to seven, and they kick us out
of the park. But we got paid thirty dollars to
just run back and forth across the street all day
and just get bags of weed for him. And it
was not thirty dollars. It's a lot of money, but
it was enough to buy clean socks. But I could
buy my little brother something to eat, and it was
enough to buy clean clothes, and I could pay for
my own lunch in school. So thirty dollars wasn't a lot,

(03:16):
but to me, as a twelve year old kid with nothing,
it was everything. In the sixth grade, I had a
teacher name Miss Ellis, who gave me a trumpet and
she put me in the band and I said, okay,
all the kids were in the band in the seventies.
And by the end of the eighth grade and in
middle school, I was ready to go to my district
high school. She said, you can't go to the district
high school, and she made me go to a magnet school,
I could play and be in the band. So in

(03:38):
the morning I was in band. In the afternoon I
hang out to cool guys. Then eventually my cool guy
friends are like, what's that boxer carrying? I told him,
miss my trumpet. They said, oh, man, black people don't
carry trumpets. We don't play trumpets. A stupid They said,
get rid of the trumpet or get rid of us.
So I gave up my trumpet. So I didn't want
to give up my friends. What I didn't understand is
when I gave up my trumpet, I gave up my
purpose and passion.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Fourteen, you ended up in prison, and somehow you also
made it back there on a one hundred year sentence.

Speaker 4 (04:07):
As a juvenile, I got a lot of juvenile childs
probation and stuff like that. And when you become an
adult it changes. They start giving out years, not months.
So they gave me seven to ten, two nine to tens,
two tens, two fifteen and twenties and a five. Then
they put me on a bus as I was trying
to figure the math out, and they drew me to
stay penitential.

Speaker 5 (04:26):
They dropped me off, and what happened there?

Speaker 4 (04:28):
Scared of that I mean, I got off the bus
from eighteen probably like one hundred and fifty pounds. I've
never been in maximum security prison before, and I'm scared.
When I got there, I just didn't know what to do.
And guys said, hey, where are you from? Say, I'm
from this part of town, and so, oh, you're with them?
I mean, what do you mean? He says, there's a
lot of guys here from your neighborhood. And it was
the older kids from my neighborhood had been in prison four
or five years ahead of me, and they just scooped

(04:49):
me up.

Speaker 5 (04:49):
Like, hey, y're with us.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
They knew my sisters, they knew that we all knew
from the same neighborhood. They're like, hey, Y're with us.
The thing I didn't understand is those guys ran the prison.
They were the top gang in the prison, and they
all had natural life sentences. So when I first got
off the bus, the gang leaders of the prison system,
I'm from their neighborhood and they were all doing forever.

Speaker 5 (05:08):
So that's what taught me how to do time.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
That's incredible what changed. Reading a little bit up onto
your story. You became like the third in rank of
that gang of that group behind bars, and at some
point came across an idea or a notion that that
wasn't the life you wanted.

Speaker 4 (05:26):
I grew up watching my mother be beat. I grew
up with kids throwing rocks at me. I grew up
with kids making fun of me. I grew up with
people sticking me in classrooms and closing the door. And
I listened to all the negativity of my life. If
my mother can be hit, anybody can be hit. If
I have to protect myself from rocks and names, and
I'm going to protect myself now, and if my dad
can walk out on me, I can walk out on anything.

(05:48):
And these are the lenses that I saw the world through.
Was through the pain of an eight year old, of
a four year old, of a ten year old. So
I have a four year old, ten year old and
eight year old making decisions for a grown man, and
my pain propelled me into the space of I'm going
to take my anger out on people here, because that's
what prison's about, attacking each other. So I was really
good at attacking people when I was really good at

(06:08):
not caring about getting caught. And when you attack people
in prison, your status grows and people will look up
to you differently.

Speaker 5 (06:15):
And I didn't do it for status. I did it
because I was mad.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
And six years in, I'm the third ranking gang member
in my town and it's like okay. And I realized something.
I'm the king of nowhere. And that's when I had
my epiphany moment. I realized my whole goal was to
become number one. I got to three and I had
a chance to become number one, and that's when I
saw it for what it was. It was all smoking
mirrors and it was all a lie. I spent all

(06:41):
these six years. It was six years I did this
every day, trying to be a psychopath, be crazy, be
out of control, being unmanageable. Then I finally realized and
I had a chance achieved the goal, that it was
all fake, and I didn't want to be the king
of nowhere, so I said, I need to do something different.
And then here comes to trap. My first thought is
I want to be free. Makes sense, But I realized something.

(07:05):
All the guys who get free come back. It's called recidivism,
because freedom's a parking lot. You'll spend the next three, five, six,
ten years planning to get free. Only, and when you
reach the parking lot, you've technically achieved your goal. So
when you say, well, what am I going to do now,
I don't know. I ain't planning to get to the
parking lot. Then they go back to the neighborhoods and
they get in trouble again. I said, free doesn't work

(07:27):
because free comes back to prison. So I want to
be successful because successful doesn't come to prison. And I said,
I'm going to go home be successful.

Speaker 5 (07:34):
I did do.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
Successful people come from college. So I picked a school
called Harvard University. So I'm gonna go home, go to Harvard,
be successful.

Speaker 5 (07:41):
And that's it.

Speaker 3 (07:42):
What did the members of that gang behind bars think
of you when you said, hey, listen, I want something different.

Speaker 4 (07:48):
The different wasn't bad. Harvard was a bad part, right.
I mean, let me say you what we're gonna sell?
Crack now, said the heroina. We're gonna sell we what
we're gonna do? What's different?

Speaker 5 (07:57):
Ray?

Speaker 4 (07:57):
I said, no, We're going home and going to Harvard University,
going to be successful. And they looked at me because
what I didn't understand is they didn't believe it was possible.
And they started trying to hey, you can't go to Harvard.
You're black, your gang member, you're violin, you don't read
that well. And they started telling me all the reasons
I couldn't go to Harvard. And when they were telling
me this what I heard with my friends in the
ninth grade who stole my trumpet, I said, not going

(08:19):
for this twice and I said, you don't have to
go with me, but I'm not going backwards. And they
didn't believe me. Everybody in prison thought I went crazy.
There's people go to prison. And after five ten years
sitting sallied, taking fireman for two and a half, you
just snap. Your brain snaps. You just can't do it
no more. You start doing the throws and shuffle we
call it. You just started mumbling to yourself and barking

(08:40):
at the sky. They said the word in prison was
Dre went crazy. Said what do you mean he talked
about going to Harvard?

Speaker 5 (08:48):
What said?

Speaker 2 (08:49):
You know?

Speaker 5 (08:49):
You know I got a hundred years right man? He
going on?

Speaker 4 (08:51):
He look, he going to program right now. You going
over to the school building. You're going to get a ged.
Ain't going wady hogg on, No ged. And everybody in
the prison, the gods and the inmates thought I had
lost my mind and it's something snapped. And I'm going
to school. I'm going to programs. I'm not out in
the yard walking the track. I'm not selling drugs. I'm
actually planning and exercising this plan. I'm going to HAFIT

(09:15):
and the entire prison system, said man Dre. We lost
a good one.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
Wow, And I read somewhere you developed this list of
what you've had to overcome in order to make that
dream real.

Speaker 5 (09:28):
I looked in the mirror. When nobody else will support me?

Speaker 4 (09:31):
When it's oftentimes, if you're an entrepreneur, or you're whoever
you are, you're going to run out of support. And
we as people think we need the support of the
masters to achieve something. So I looked in the mirror.
I said, nobody's coming. I said, what's inside of me
to stopping this stream from happening. This isn't a collective dream,
this isn't a holistic dream.

Speaker 5 (09:50):
This is my dream?

Speaker 4 (09:51):
And what am I willing to do to make this happen?
I said, Okay, I am black. I'm cool with that.
I said, I can't read that well. I can fix that,
I said, I got a lot of time I can
go to law life very I can fix that. I
have anger issues. I want to anger management programs. I
thought hurting people was fun. I went to mental health
programs and I worked on the list of things that
I needed to do to be a Harvard student. I
would say, well, woul a Harvard student do that I'm saying,

(10:13):
and that was my thing. I stopped beating up people,
I stopped stabbing people, I stopped hurting people. I said, well,
Harvard student wouldn't do that. And I made myself in
maximum security prison the Harvard student. And I moved like that.
And it took me eight years, not eight weeks, not
eight days, eight years of walking this path to overturn
my sentence, change my attitude, and walk out of prison.

Speaker 3 (10:36):
That's incredible. And you became somehow you managed to become
a Harvard fellow.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
How did that?

Speaker 4 (10:40):
That's not somehow, It wasn't somehow. It was the plan.
It was listen, it wasn't no, it was no trickery.
It was twenty five years of solid work. I made
up my mind in nineteen ninety one I was going
to Harvard, and when doctor Charles Ogletry called me to
Harvard Law school and offered me a fellowship. I didn't
think I deserved it, but I was expecting. I'm taking this.

(11:01):
I'm not saying no, because I worked for twenty five
years to make that happen.

Speaker 3 (11:07):
Let's talk a little bit about Second Chance University. Now
that you are living your dream, I have made it happen,
and you're now going back in and helping other people
find their way out and stay out. Tell us a
little bit about that.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
I've been home for twenty five years, and I just
came to understanding that I wasn't lucky that I was mentored.
I was trained, I was taught, I was motivated. I
was yelled at everything I needed to do to get
from Maximus Security, Solid Track confinement to Harvard Law School.
There was a process, and I remember the journey, every struggle,

(11:42):
every step, every wanting to quit, every motivational word, every
word against me. And I looked back at my brothers
and sisters who were still in prison.

Speaker 5 (11:50):
I said, I know it the way.

Speaker 4 (11:52):
I know the way, and I'm going to go back
and tell them what is required for them to do it.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
What's key to staying out, the.

Speaker 4 (12:00):
Key to success for people sting home from prison, is
one get a dream. You have to wake up for
something other than paying rent, because paying rent is boring.
Paying bills gets boring. Your wife will get boring, the
kids will getting nervous. I mean, you have to have
a dream, something you want to do in this world
and of this world that excites you, that makes you
say yeah. Then you need to look at yourself, go

(12:21):
in that mirror and say what's inside of me?

Speaker 5 (12:23):
They're stopping this. So it's not the man.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
It's not Oh, they don't want to hire me because
I'm black, or they don't want to hire me because
I'm an ex offender. But they don't hire you because
you're not good. I can attest that if you're good,
you will get hired. I've been hired and been allowed
into the Pentagon, which is the most secure building in
the world, been in the White House.

Speaker 5 (12:40):
I've been in Congress, been a business school, been to
Harvard Law School.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
I've been in too many Fortune five hundred and one
hundred companies account So it's not that black in prison
stop me. They let me in because I add value.
If you add value, they will make a way for you.
If you don't add value, they will make away for
you not to get in a room. So so often
we think it's because of how we see ourselves that

(13:04):
they don't let us in. It's a simple question, do
you add value to what we're doing.

Speaker 3 (13:09):
Let's talk about prison reform. You said in an article
that prison reform in America starts in kindergarten. What did
you mean by that?

Speaker 4 (13:18):
When I was in kidney garten, I was hungry, I
had dirty socks on, hey probably wasn't comb white, and
I looked like a little wild kid. And I was
looking for attention. I was looking for guidance. I was
looking for approval, and I didn't get a lot of it.
The people who saw me, you had to see that
this kid's got a problem, but nobody helped me for
the most part, at that age.

Speaker 5 (13:40):
We ignore kids at nine, ten and eleven.

Speaker 4 (13:43):
When they turned seventeen, they're outside on the corner with
a gun, smoking a blunt like, how come he's not listening.

Speaker 5 (13:48):
There's so many options for him.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
He's not listening because you ignored him for fourteen years
when he was open and receptive.

Speaker 5 (13:55):
We weren't for some reason.

Speaker 4 (13:57):
Hugging a thug is way easier, more conclucive, they're trying
to hug a six year old. The six year old
wants to help, the sixteen year old doesn't want to
be bothered.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
That's something we can want to.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
Every rapist, every murderer, every carjacker, every scammer is sitting
in the kidney garden right now, being ignored, being passed over.
How much is a pair of Sox cars for a
six year old? How much is a peanut butter sandwich?

Speaker 5 (14:22):
Cost? A lot less than.

Speaker 4 (14:23):
Forty thousand dollars a year for incostration, A lot less
than all the money we pay for trials, A lot
less for the families who are going through the trauma
of the victimization from these people. That will last a lifetime.
So the impact is there. If you want to change
our system, educate the young. If you said to me Dre,
your prison expert, your prison activist, your prison advocate, whatever

(14:45):
you want to call me, we'll take you to the
prison system and we do whatever you say do to
make it better. I say, go to the kidneyguards and
help the kids. And I look at every grown man
in the prison and say, the baby's first, baby's first,
My brothers, I stand for them, But the baby's first
you had a shot. As unfair as it might have been,

(15:06):
you had a shot. These babies deserve to never go.
That is the greatest story, that they never go. Thank you, Andrea.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
You can learn more about Andre Norman at Andre Norman
dot com. Now we get commentary from Roland Martin.

Speaker 6 (15:19):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of b N and it's founding partners and employees. Now
it's time to bring the funk with Roland S.

Speaker 5 (15:33):
Martin.

Speaker 7 (15:34):
Do people understand that life is not supposed to be
all about working, drama and stress.

Speaker 5 (15:42):
Now.

Speaker 7 (15:43):
I'm sure somebody who's listening to my voice right now
is saying, oh, well, it's very easy for you to
say because of what you can do, But no, that's
not it. I think about the fact that my parents
never made more than fifty thousand dollars combined. They had
five children. When I reflect on growing up, I remember
that they didn't take lots of vacations. They may have

(16:05):
only taken two in my first eighteen years. One was
a trip to New Orleans. One was an anniversary trip.
They took visiting relatives in San Francisco. Then, of course
we had family vacations when we visited relatives in Kansas City.
But the point that I'm making is that there were

(16:26):
numerous times where we did things as a family in Houston,
going to museums, going to the park. It doesn't mean
that work wasn't there. It doesn't mean that bills were
not there. But I really believe that too many of
us are going through life and all we are doing
is just operating by stress and drama. I have a hashtag.

(16:50):
It's called hashtag live life, Love it. And you know,
there are times when I'll just go downstairs and I'll
turn the music up and man, I'll just dance, and
I might be just dancing by myself for two, three
four hours, just enjoying myself. I don't understand people who
go to parties and they just simply stand around and

(17:11):
look at other people. Listen, we only have one of these,
that's it, and so enjoy it.

Speaker 5 (17:19):
Live life.

Speaker 7 (17:20):
If you don't have the money to do certain things,
that's fine. There are things that you can still do,
but please don't just make it all about work. I'm
Roland Martin on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
Thanks Roland, and stay tuned for more commentary from Moe
Kelly later in the show. For years, black women have
been on the front lines of social justice movements, and
this week we hear from a prison reform advocate. She
shares how her journey from prison to freedom inspired her
to start a mission to help others. That's what's next
and this week's The Color Between the Lines with Esther Dillard.

Speaker 8 (17:51):
On this edition of The Color Between the Lines.

Speaker 9 (17:53):
I actually fell to the floor and was just so grateful.

Speaker 8 (17:57):
We speak with prison reform activist Tempus Smith Praitie. She's
in the spotlight this Women's History Month because of her
incredible story of resilience and strength. At the beginning of
this year, President Joe Biden granted her a full pardon
for her conviction, one that at one time landed her
in prison with a twenty four and a half year sentence.
She talks about that and her advocacy work with other

(18:18):
women who are serving in prison under similar circumstances. I'm
Esther Dillard chatting with writers, authors and experts who offer
and added perspective for listeners. This is The Color between
the Lines. Before we speak to Cambus Smith Pradier about

(18:41):
her pardon by President Joe Biden, we have to revisit
her story. In the late nineteen eighties, was a college
student at Hampton University, where she met twenty eight year
old Peter Hall, a man who was not a student
in whom she later discovered was involved in drug trafficking.
Their relationship soon turned abusive, and over time Pradium found
herself deeply entangled in this world. Though she never sold

(19:04):
drugs herself, She eventually became pregnant and left him, returning
to her parents, before ultimately turning herself in to authorities.
In nineteen ninety four, after Hall was shot and killed,
federal authorities charged Prittium with conspiracy to distribute crack and
powder cocaine, money laundering, and making false statements to federal agents.
Under federal conspiracy laws. She was held accountable for the

(19:27):
actions of Hall's drug ring, even though she never personally
engaged in drug sales. She pled guilty to all three
charges and was sentenced to twenty four and a half
years in federal prison. Her family fought tirelessly to appeal
to the public and advocate for her release. After serving
approximately six and a half years, President Bill Clinton granted

(19:48):
her executive clemency in December two thousand, allowing her to
leave prison early. Since her release, Pradium has dedicated her
life to criminal justice reform. She founded the Canvas Smith Foundation,
advocating against mandatory minimum sentencing and highlighting how the justice
system disproportionately impacts black and brown communities. Her story gained

(20:09):
renewed attention in twenty twenty four when b et Plus
released the film Kemba, bringing her experiences to a wider audience,
and this year, in January, President Joe Biden granted her
a full pardon. She spoke with me about how she
felt that day with.

Speaker 9 (20:25):
A home in my kitchen, and you know, I could
tell it was a sister, and basically she said that
she was from the White House Counsel's office and she
was over Clemency's and basically she said that the decision

(20:47):
on my pardon was a no brainer, and they saw
all the work that I had gone since I had
been home, and you know, she told me that I
was that I received a full pardon from the President,
and I was so very grateful. I expressed my gratitude.
But if you have been following my film, Kimba that's

(21:08):
now streaming on bet I launched a campaign along with
represent Justice, which is an organization that selected my film
to run this impact campaign, and basically was centered around
urgent President Biden to commute other women's sentences, in particular
my friend Michelle West, who had also been in an

(21:29):
abusive relationship prior to incarceration. So my questioning was immediately
diverted to you know, I'm sure you can't share it
with me, but you know I would feel some kind
of way if I got this full parton and Michelle
didn't get her commutation, and of course she kept talking
about me and didn't give any information. But immediately after

(21:52):
I hung up, of course, was giving God all the
glory and you know, just overwhelmed. But when I saw
look down and saw my phone ring, and it was
Michelle West, attorney, and she told me when I picked
up that michelle sentence had been commuted, I actually fell
to the floor and was just so grateful because you know,

(22:13):
we waited and waited for President Biden to do additional
commutations and it was down to the wire. I mean,
I'm grateful to my attorney and also the Legal Defense
Fund and some other folks. I mean, it was just
constant phone calls up until that point, and so for

(22:35):
all this work have been done and to get to
that those final hours, I think it was just a
release for me of just gratitude and to be to
be able to breathe that. You know. Of course, I'm
grateful for my full pardon, but to be released after

(22:55):
thirty two years of being in prison, it was just
grateful that we couldn't know that my sister's finally going
to come home.

Speaker 8 (23:05):
What was that call like between you and your friend?

Speaker 9 (23:09):
So I haven't actually I talked to her daughter because
she currently is in a prison in Minnesota, and we've
been emailing back and forth and they have some phone
system where they only get a certain amount of minutes
and she's been devoting that time to talking to her daughter.
But Michelle Michel and I I mean, I boohoo cried,

(23:31):
and I think Michel was in shock because she was,
you know, a strong young lady like she she has been.
And I think that, you know, it's just we're all
still processing it, and you know, I'm looking forward to
being And Michelle was prison on February the eighteenth, where

(23:54):
I'll be able to wrap my arms around her and
walk into that prison.

Speaker 8 (24:00):
I can't wait to hear more about that. When that happens.
That's just so awesome. I know that you've been working
so hard and for that to come to fruition, I'm
sure that that is just going to be an awesome moment.

Speaker 9 (24:13):
I would be driving force ever since I came home,
and I think, you know, some people that have known
me and known my work. You know, some people may
have said, why is she still telling that story. Well,
God has put me in a position where the story
has been impact on I've owned that and it was
a healing process for me after coming home and talking
about it and seeing how it impacted other people. But

(24:36):
ever since I walked out, I had a sense of
survivor's guilt because I knew of others that deserved that
same commutation that I received. But then also having been
out doing the avacy work and then being appointed to
the Virginia Parole Board by the Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam,
and I served for two and a half years, I

(24:57):
got to see from a different perspective still the wrongful
convictions and people that are deserving of their freedom. As well,
so I've wanted to use my human story through media
and film and through public speaking to help change the perspective,
change the narrative, to hopefully in some of the fear

(25:20):
mongering that's going on with people in their thoughts about
formally incarcerated people and humanizing stories.

Speaker 8 (25:29):
I know that the commutation means that it is one
one thing, but the pardon was another. What does that
mean for you in terms of your life? Now? How
will that change things for you?

Speaker 9 (25:41):
So it's a it's it's it's more redemptive for me
to know that the same government that sentenced me and
criminalized me, you know, has acknowledged the fact of the
work that I've done and have grained, and the President
of the United States granted being full pardon and just

(26:05):
you know, in full transparency, and in working with my
attorneys in LDF and the letter that I received from
the part in Attorney's office, there's still some work we
have to do out here. And so in my letter
it basically said that I still would need to check
yes to a box if they asked about a criminal conviction,

(26:26):
and that I'm supposed to have this documentation of receiving
a pardon from the president that's supposed to carry some
weight in whatever decisions that are made in the future.

Speaker 8 (26:38):
I want people to understand a little bit about your background,
because I did watch a little bit of this your movie,
the adaptation of your life Kemba, which is released on
be et Plus. But I know that part of it.
You were in college, you and you were going through
a difficult relationship and then that took a turn for

(27:01):
the worst. Can you talk about when it did take
a turn for the worst and when did you know that?

Speaker 6 (27:07):
Uh?

Speaker 8 (27:07):
Oh, I'm in really deep trouble here.

Speaker 9 (27:11):
Uh. Yeah, it took a turn for the worst. Probably
Obviously there were some red flags, and I speak about
those red flags in my book and when I'm out
speaking publicly. But the first time he put his hands
on me, I thought he was going to kill me.
And there was no like, you know, minor incident beforehand.

(27:33):
It was a full fledged assault and he punched me
on throughout my body and strangled me to the point
where blood vessels had popped all over my face and
my eyeballs, and so I was in shock. I was traumatized.
I really did not know how to move forward with it.
And of course afterwards came that I'm sorry, It'll never

(27:55):
happen again. And I was more so concerned about, like
a lot of women that you know situations when I
did go back to the Hampton University area, was concerned about,
you know, my pride and what other people would think,
and not feeling comfortable going to talk to anybody else.

(28:17):
And I put more weight into the you know, his his,
I'm sorries and so, and it escalated because there was
a point and I don't want to tell the whole story,
but the fear intense in intensified because I knew what
he was capable of doing to another person. So I

(28:39):
was fearful to share information about him, and when I did,
it was too late. And so, you know, some of
the work that I'm doing now, I'm grateful to be
working with the four hundred Years African American History Commission,
and we have this initial to call I fear for

(29:01):
my life, and basically we've been to over twelve HBCUs
across the country, sharing with them and not just HBCUs,
but mostly HBCUs, and sharing with them a community perspective
where I talk about my interaction with law enforcement and
the fear that I had the fear that I had

(29:22):
to even you know, be truthful about, you know, what
was going on and the choices and consequences of that,
because I want, you know, our young people to understand
the consequence of every decision that we make. But also
with this initiative, it's important where we bring in law

(29:42):
enforcement too, to talk about their fear and the work
that they do to hopefully build trust within our communities.
So I get privileged to be able to, you know,
work with students because I used to be in their position.

Speaker 8 (29:58):
What kind of advice do you give to young ladies,
young girls that are in college that maybe facing similar
situations or maybe not as drastic, but you know, what
kind of advice do you give them?

Speaker 9 (30:10):
I'll start off saying making sure that they're they're loving themselves,
that they're staying focused on their priorities, because I know
when I, you know, started hampting, I did have a
priority and focus, but I became more concerned about what
the cool kids or what in my mind, prospective cool
kids were in a time where we didn't have cell

(30:31):
phones and sprowling and where other kids are looking now
and thinking what they see on their devices is what's cool,
But I basically just tell them to focus on their goals,
their dreams, and where it is that they want to
go in life and not put all of their emphasis
on superficial things and relationships because those things will disappoint
you or run out. But your education, your career, those

(30:57):
are the things that are gonna, you know, empower you
and move you forward into your future. And in that
same token to as we talk about my journey forward.
So I'm a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania
where I am targeting in on young adults and high

(31:18):
schoolers and college students and talking about various aspects centered
around my story, but domestic violence and relationships will be
one of those proms as well.

Speaker 8 (31:27):
What do you see in the next few years as
far as goals and changing things ahead? And how can
others who want to be connected to this work? How
do they connect to you?

Speaker 9 (31:41):
Yeah, well, I'm on social media platforms so they can
reach out. I also have my website that needs to
be updated. Let me make sure I put that out there.
But if you want to go to Kembusmith dot com
or Kembismith Foundation dot org, you can contact me through
there as well, But I mean my interest, I still
have a devotion to women and the impact of what

(32:07):
it has on families, and I'm forever going to be
pushing for, like the need for clemency. Second look legislation
within you know states, because you know, some states do
offer that. I feel like there should be a primary
Caretaker bill. Some states have implemented that where they've take

(32:28):
into consideration the impact on children and families and for alternatives,
alternatives to incarcerations so people can remain you know, connected
as families. I think, especially in where we are this
political time, I want to focus on the impact of

(32:48):
children and families. And also with the reauthorization of the
Violence Against Women Act, I want more criminal justice stakeholders
to unders stand the cycle of domestic violence and how
it impacts women in some of their decisions when they're
not permanently minded. But you found that they get sentenced

(33:09):
to decades behind prison even though they never physically harmed
in one but because of their relationship.

Speaker 8 (33:17):
Well, thank you Kemba Smith pretty up for joining us
on the BIM.

Speaker 9 (33:20):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 8 (33:22):
That's it for this edition of The Color Between the Lines.
If you'd like to hear more episodes, just go to
the Color Between the Lines podcast on iHeartRadio or head
to the Color Between the Lines YouTube channel.

Speaker 1 (33:33):
Thanks esther the Black Information Networks. Kevin Brown talks to
the host of the Note Chaser podcast, a regular on
the breakfast Club Tesla and figure Out. She's a frontline
civil rights advocate and true drum major for justice who
has real life experience in the trenches, working with Ben
Crump on cases like George Floyd and the Flint Water Crisis.
She's also founder and trainer of Push the Line, a

(33:55):
program that gives candidates a crash course on civil engagement.

Speaker 10 (33:58):
I'm Kevin Brown on the Black Information Network, your home
for Black news First, and we are very excited to
have someone who is on the front line of what
you are seeing in the news every single day today,
the incredibly talented Teslin Fergaro. Welcome to the Black Information Network.

Speaker 11 (34:17):
Thank you so much for having me, Kevin, I'm glad
to be here.

Speaker 10 (34:20):
Before we get started, let's talk about this town hall
that's coming up on March thirtieth. Okay, this is the
perfect time as then for a town hall because there
is so much going on. It's happening on March thirtieth
at the Bankhead Seafood Restaurant. For people who are interested
in being engaged with what is going on, how can

(34:43):
they pick up a tickets and what can they expect
when they get there?

Speaker 11 (34:47):
Yeah, thank you so much for asking the very important question.
People can get tickets at ww dot Teeslinfigaro dot com,
t e z l y n f I g ar
ol dot com. You can also find me on install
gram under Tesslin figure O. The link is right there
in the bio. I encourage people to get tickets in
advance because Bankassi Food, which is owned by my brother

(35:08):
Killer Mike and t I, it doesn't hold a lot
of folks and so we want to make sure, uh,
you know that we're staying within the occupacy guidelines. So
the tickets are going very very fast, and what they
can expect is a town hall that is focused on
community conversation. I also have a little bit of comic relief.

(35:30):
That's important to me because as we go through some
of the most stressful times for most folks, you know,
in their lifetime on what we're happening on what's happening
now with anxiety and depression and people not knowing which
way to turn. I wanted to make an evening of
not only community conversation, but some comic relief with comedian
Erica Duchess, also comedian Glenn tattoo Man Page that's coming

(35:53):
in from Detroit, and then you know, some some one
on one conversation with me. The main focus of this
is Kevin, and a lot of what I will be
directing our conversation about today on is about micro organizing.
People literally don't know what to do. People are saying,

(36:13):
you know, what do I do next? My job may
possibly be laid off. I want to remind people that
the federal government is the largest employer of black Americans.
So when you're talking about not possibly having a job,
maybe just laid off, don't know what's happening next, Confused
on what's happening, you know, with foreign affairs and what's
going on here domestically. It is really important that we

(36:36):
start to what I call micro organized on a very
very small level. Every year, Kevin, I organize hundreds of
candidates to learn how to run for office, to work
on campaigns, and to be organizers. But I switched this
up to say that we meet people in the room
whether it's one hundred and two hundred people. If it's
good enough for Gideon's army for three hundred, it's good
enough for me for folks to be able to engage

(36:58):
with each other, have life minded individuals around them, not
just online, but then have an opportunity to build.

Speaker 1 (37:04):
Who in the room.

Speaker 11 (37:05):
Knows how to farm, Who in the room knows how
to you know, fix a car, Who in the room,
you know, uh has a small business. That type of
thinking has been able at least for me to give
me some solace to know that I have a tribe.
So I am tribe building on a very small local
level and at the same time patronizing our black business,

(37:26):
making sure, you know, they earn something for that night,
patronizing you know, self employed comedians, DJs, all of those things,
so that we can show how we can circulate the dollar.
But more importantly, everybody doesn't have a family or friends
or people who are even concerned about, you know, what's happening,
and so I just want to create a space for
those you know, who need to to basically build a tribe.

(37:47):
And that's what it's about.

Speaker 10 (37:48):
And you've been organizing for quite some time. I was
wondering if you've seen a difference in the type of
people who become galvanized by some of the things that
you are involved in in past two years versus what
you're seeing today.

Speaker 11 (38:06):
You know, they say that the greatest motivator is fear,
and right now, people, I think, to be honest with you, Kevin,
some folks are still at shell shock, if you will.
They are still having a hard time processing how Donald Trump,
you know, got elected. It was very clear to me,
I was very clear about I knew that that was
more than a possibility. I actually knew that it was

(38:28):
It was very much possible. So people are still struggling
with that. And remember, folks really tapped out. You know,
we could see that in the numbers with news. We
can see that in the cable news sector, the podcast sector.
People really say, you know what, I'm just going to
take a break. I'm just going to mind my black business.
I'm just going to you know, protect my mental health
and you know, protect my spirit. Well, what happened, is, Kevin,

(38:50):
Now it is the real deal, Holy Field. And so
now as people have sat back and thought that they
would have more time to get engaged, they're realizing they
are absolutely behind. They are absolutely behind and having the
type of strategies that they need to have in place
in order to survive what possibly be coming and what's
actually real. For many people, they are finding out that

(39:11):
the organizations that they did not think were as important
before actually are. They are finding out that there are
many ways to as they say, eat it out elephant
one bide at a time, whether that's protests, you know,
physically protests, whether it's protest, what our dollar economic protests,
you know, whether that it's policy.

Speaker 7 (39:28):
So they are.

Speaker 11 (39:29):
Learning in real time that they have to do something.
And so what I have found in this is people
are just saying, Tesslim, what do I do? In desperate need?

Speaker 12 (39:40):
What do I do?

Speaker 11 (39:41):
So I've been trying to give people tips on how
to self preserve in addition to what can you do
to build the community.

Speaker 10 (39:48):
The town hall tour happens someday March thirtieth that Bankhead
Seafood restaurant. Will this be the first of many town halls?

Speaker 11 (39:57):
I'm hoping. So I'm being very honest with you, I'm
to galvanized. Kind of going back to your point where
your question about how many people like to get involved
it's very difficult. You know, people love, which is what
one reason to be honest with you. I added the comics.
I wanted people to feel that were getting a lot
of value for you know, for their dollar. I would
love for it to be multiple times in multiple cities.

(40:17):
But what I'm learning is it is a real challenge
to get you know, one hundred, one hundred and fifty
people in the room. Because even if an establishment says, hey,
we'll let you come in the room for free, the
goal is to patronize that business. The goal is to
show some type of you know, ecosystem, you know, of
money flowing. And so what I think I'm going to
have to do Kevin is after this and the tickets

(40:38):
are going very well in Atlanta, but not everybody. Not
every city is the Black Mecca. Some cities, you know,
may not be able to galvanize in that way. So
I Am going to come up with some virtual options.
But these virtual options, Kevin, will be you know, how
to write a resume, how to interview, how to transfer
your skills, how to identify transferable skills, how to organize,

(41:00):
how to be an organizer, how to run for office.
So I've always had what I call to push the
line nonpartisan institute politics until something happens. And so we're
going to expand those programs to do it virtually instead
of in person, because I just can't get to everybody
as fast as I want, and it's not economically feasible.
So I will be opening up virtual options after this

(41:20):
town hall.

Speaker 10 (41:21):
As when you are giving me goosebumps, thank you, thank
you for taking time out. You have been here before.
Is the sense that I am getting my goodness? You
were talking my kind of talk. Where did the fires
start for you?

Speaker 11 (41:36):
It's all, well, no, never in my family. Nobody in
my family's been in politics. Nobody in my family has
been in the law. I was teased on the Breakfast
Club when I asked Vivid Ramasami what he was doing
in the sixth grade, and I really wanted to know,
because I know what I was doing in.

Speaker 9 (41:47):
The sixth grade.

Speaker 11 (41:48):
I am from the cloth of it's either in you
are it's not, it's not, it's in you, ours on you.
There are many people who have this as a career.
I have been called I can literally go every year
of my life of knowing the exact circumstance of when
I've stood up to the bully. In the second grade,
I got a bloody nose, you know, over Shantey Rowland
who was teased by Benjamin and I stood up for her.

(42:10):
In the fourth grade, I stood up for Kelly Reynolds
who was being bullied by Stephanie Collins. In the sixth grade,
I got suspended from school because I did not like
how Miss Harris was treating the teachers. Same thing with
Miss an Savino in high school. This has literally been
my life. I have literally been on the bus stop
for somebody never meet. I didn't have fights growing up,
but I was always jumping in front of you know danger.

(42:35):
After that, going to the military, I could have easily
just been a secretary. I decided to be a M
sixty gun and twenty three pound weapon and guard the plane.
This is in me. You cannot learn this. This is
not passing on a public policy knowledge. Although I am
proud of my education, I'm proud of having a master's
degree of an education. I'm proud of working on my
second master's in political science. I'm proud to be going

(42:59):
to law school in the f That is not where
I stand. I stand on the principles of what am
I going to say when my father calls me home?
This is about the least of these. The old hymn
that I used to listen to growing up that I
played at my mother's funeral says I should wear a crown,
and I will put on a robe and tell the story.
So I want to make sure that my story is

(43:20):
being told. What did I do when they were in prison?
What did I do when they were hungry? What did
I do when the widow needed justice? So I've just
always been this way. I've always gotten in trouble for
my mouth. I've always been told I talk too much.
I've always been in somebody's business. So it's just who
I am. I didn't know that it would be politics
and the law and you know, all those things, but
it's just, really, it is absolutely just what I was

(43:42):
born and called to do.

Speaker 10 (43:43):
Testin how did you meet Ben Crump?

Speaker 11 (43:46):
How did I meet Being Crump?

Speaker 9 (43:47):
Great question.

Speaker 11 (43:47):
I was in Orlando, Florida, my political stomping ground. We
initially started working together. I was an organizer during the
Trayvon Martin. I actually lived in Sanford, Florida during that time.
So watching Samford, Florida is a very small town watching
that city turn upside down. I knew what it was
to be followed home from folks in Sanford, Florida pulling

(44:10):
guns on you and all of that. Is definitely a
place that will absolutely have no problem, you know, asserting
their white supremacy. And so we had a casual relationship then.
But it wasn't until I was in Oklahoma City for
a year after my business. I had a very successful
business with three hundred employees the staffing firm in Orlando, Florida.
That staffing firm shut down due to healthcare reform, who

(44:32):
couldn't afford to cover health care, and so I went
to Oklahoma to stay a short period of time. My
mother was diagnosed from cancer while I was there. I
believe the Lord had me there in that particular moment.
And it was the Hostcloth rape case, the thirteen black
women who were raped by officer Housecloth. I called the attorney,
who was a white attorney at the time. I asked him,

(44:53):
I said, I really want to make this story national.
He told me no. I said, no problem, I'm going
to make it national anyway.

Speaker 12 (44:58):
And so I.

Speaker 11 (44:59):
Advocate for that every single day by myself. I called
attorney Crump. I said, these women really, really, you know,
they need to be represented. I don't believe they're being
represented the way that they should because most attorneys where
people don't understand, most attorneys civil attorneys, they don't want
to take a civil case because they're not profitable, especially
from the government to the chances of winning are zero
to none.

Speaker 12 (45:18):
Three.

Speaker 11 (45:18):
They don't want to bring that type of negativity on
the city. At that particular time in Oklahoma City, the
Oklahoma City Thunder, you know, was still somewhat of a
new organization. Oh you medical is huge in that city.
Officer house Cloth was pulling over these black women directly
around the corner from the Oklahoma Capital. So it was
something that the city did not want anybody to know,

(45:40):
and so I joined in that crusade with him. My
grandmother's house was literally, and Kevin, when I say literally
next door to the police station, I mean literally as
a next door neighbor my grandmother's house. It was a
police station right next door where Officer Houscloth was assigned.
And so I was advocating for that with the police
that I was challenging living next door to me. Every

(46:03):
time I would drive out my driveway. They would follow
me because that was the only way to get out
out the neighborhood. So there were many days where I
wondered if I would be a Sandra Bland And like
I said in the documentary, would Attorney Crump civil that's
on Netflix. I'm the only one that has a speaking
role outside of Attorney Crump that I'm willing to die
for the cause. So we just became very good, not

(46:26):
just friends, but truly family, like a brother to me,
and I've been rocking with him ever since. On every case,
I'm usually the one saying what he won't say on
the stage. And we just have a very very close
and very God ordained relationship and we've been together ever since.

Speaker 10 (46:44):
And speaking of that, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has
released a statement condemning what some conservatives are advocating for
in terms of George Floyd in that case, that they
are suggesting that the press and issue a pardon for
the officer who is in jail. Chauven, what are your

(47:08):
thoughts on that?

Speaker 11 (47:09):
Thank you so much for asking me that question. I
was the senior advisor for the George Floyd family. Not
only did I work on the case with Attorney Crump
from the legal side. I also became very bonded with
that family, who I still talked to on a weekly basis.
When we meet these families, they truly become family, Kevin,
They're not just a one and done, you know, once

(47:31):
the trial is over. And I am deeply disgusted by
I'm not surprised, but deeply disgusted of the conservative commentator
that said, you know, this pardon would truly, you know,
make a mark on how we need to basically go
in reverse. I'm not shocked that Elon Musk also said
this sounds like a good idea. I want the family

(47:54):
to know. And I'm not talking of George Floyd family,
some of the black family, because when I put it
up on my page, I was you know, people kind
of went in and was saying, you know, I'm fine
with you know if that happens. Well, one, there's misinformation.
He was charged. He was found guilty on the state
and the federal level.

Speaker 9 (48:08):
So that's important.

Speaker 11 (48:09):
There's a lot of misinformation on folks saying, well, Trump
can't pardon him on the state. Well, he was found
guilty on both levels, the state and the federal that's
the first thing. The second thing, you know, a lot
of people say, well, even if he got off on
the federal he's still serving time, you know, for the state.
Let me be crystal clear on behalf of the George
Floyd family, he in the Being crumblaw firm. We want
them to serve time on both times. Both rights were

(48:30):
violated on both levels, on the state and on the federal.
So a pardon is completely unacceptable. And shout out to
Keith Ellison, who did a remarkable job. And this is
why state attorney jobs are so important. I tell people
all the time, pay attention to your state attorney is
had Keith Ellison not been in position, they would not
have been able to galvanize the legal team that they
did to fight their case on the criminal side. So

(48:50):
we want to see both charges stand. And when people think, oh,
that's a long shot, Oh it won't happen, Oh it's
no big deal, and then they wake up and see
that it does. Cause this is why over and over
they continue to be ahead of us, because we don't
operate with the urgency in the moment at that time.
And I want to say this, Kevin, if Trump decides
to pardon. It's nothing we literally can do about it.

(49:14):
We can't change his heart. Only God can change the
hearts of man. But what I want to see people
is be willing to fight, be willing to stand up.
Don't just roll over and play possum. Don't just be
okay with it, you know. And so that's what I'm learning.
People are just kind of giving up in a lot
of ways. Some people are ready to fight, some people
don't know what to do, and some people just say,
you know what, it's above me now, and that's just

(49:35):
what we cannot do.

Speaker 10 (49:37):
Yes, one other question I want to ask you about
is the Flint water case. Where does that stand now?
You were also involved in that situation.

Speaker 11 (49:47):
Yeah, well Flint still doesn't have clean water, you know,
things that we still like to talk about over and over.
But yes, it was a over six hundred million dollar lawsuit.
There was fouled.

Speaker 5 (49:57):
So a lot of those.

Speaker 11 (49:58):
Victims, you know, did get some re recovery, but nowhere
near what they should have gotten. A lot of children
will have severe damage for the rest of their life. Also,
a lot of victims who were affected did not file claims.
We went down several several times as much public information
as we possibly can. Shout out to Eric Mays, rest
in peace to him. The Flint councilman became a very

(50:19):
good friend of mine. We did as much as we
can to get people, you know, to get the information.
This is why Black information news is so important, you know,
trying to get the information, trying to get the information out.
So a lot of people still did not get, you know,
the recovery that they need. And Kevin, a real thing
that happens, particularly in the black community. We are hesitant
to give our information. We're hesitant to sign up for

(50:39):
things like with the senses, We're hesitant to exchange information.
So there's still a lot of folks who are impacted
and still did not receive covery, so recovery. So I
just want to remind people that problem is still not
completely fixed and we just kind of moved on.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Thank you, Kevin. Visit teslimfigureo dot com for more about
her town hall event March thirtieth in Atlanta, Georgia for
Women's History Month. The Black Information That Works, Morgan Woods
spoke with journalist April Ryan. She is the longest running
Black White House correspondent, and she talked about the role
of a journalist making history and how the coverage has
evolved under each administration.

Speaker 6 (51:14):
Joining me now on the Black Information Network is the
longest running black White House correspondent. We call her the
Dean April d Ryan. Thank you so much for having
Thank you so much for being here on the Black
Information Network anytime.

Speaker 12 (51:27):
Morgan, thanks for having me, of.

Speaker 8 (51:29):
Course, so talk to me about the role.

Speaker 6 (51:31):
Having served under multiple presidents, what's your take on the
role of a White House correspondent and the fact that
you've been doing it for so long? What do you
make of that history?

Speaker 12 (51:42):
The role of a journalist is the first line of
questioning of an American president when check some balances don't
check or balance out. We are the accountability because our
questions bring forth answers to the American public needs.

Speaker 6 (51:58):
And being in this role, you yourself been in it
for such a long time, what do you make well?
What would you say to your younger self, being that
you've been doing this for decades? Has it changed for
you over the course of time or has it been
the same? Has each administration had its you know, positives
and negatives?

Speaker 13 (52:15):
What would you say to that?

Speaker 12 (52:17):
Yes, Morgan, every president was different. Every president brought something
different to the to the beat. I mean when I started,
literally during the Bill Clinton era second term, they were
putting paper in bins, like all the press releases. Everything
was in a bin, and I used to joke saying,

(52:38):
they're wasting a lot of trees. And then I've watched
the evolution over time, how it went from the bins
at nine to eleven, how they communicated with us. After
nine to eleven, we all started wearing blackberries because that
was when we were able to text one another because
nine to eleven we couldn't get information in or out
if you had on a flip phone or to a phone,

(53:01):
but the BlackBerry was the thing that had the communication
with the text messaging. It was for safety and instant information.
And then we went into social media where Barack Obama
started us getting involved in the Internet and he started
speaking directly to the American public, which was very interesting.

(53:22):
We hadn't seen that before. He basically moved away from
the press secretary to some extent, and when he wanted
to say something, he said it on his own. So
we had to really start watching social media more and
it was really an evolution. It's been an evolution and
it's grown since really Donald Trump says what he wants

(53:42):
to say that the Press Office runs behind him, versus
him telling the Press secretary what he wants and they'll
say it. So there's been an evolution in how presidents
communicate with us. There's been an evolution in how presidents
relate period to the American people. And it's just been

(54:05):
it's been such a sea change in watching each president
come and change the dynamic.

Speaker 6 (54:11):
And your advice to the next up and coming White
House correspondent who looks at the role and says, I
want to do that. What would you say to them?

Speaker 12 (54:21):
Know what you're getting into before you try to get
into it. I've had a lot of people say, oh,
I want to be April Ryon. I'm like, you don't
know what April Lion has to deal with to be
a full lion on a daily basis. Covering the White
House now is it's a tough job. You need a helmet,
you know, you need shoulder pads, you need a breast blade.

(54:45):
It's rough and humble, and yes, you can get hurt
professionally and personally. Now that's where we are this political
game is is is rough and tumble, it's nothing that
I study for Morgan state, it's a whole different animal,

(55:06):
and you have to have a tough skin. You have
to have receipts. You have to know what you're saying
and have facts to back it up. If not, your
credibility can be not and then your profession you're out
of the profession. I've seen so many people try and fail.
But you have to know what you know and always

(55:29):
be on top of your game. And also it's about
relationships and integrity.

Speaker 6 (55:34):
Seems like you dropping gems right there, and I'm gonna
go ahead and wrap it up right there. Thank you
so much for your wisdom, your knowledge, your insights into
the role of a White House correspondent.

Speaker 12 (55:45):
Thank you Morgan for always being there showing up to
We need every one of you out there, everyone who
looks like us out there, to come in and be
a part because if we don't ask the questions, who
will a lot of times our issues are not on
the tape. And thank you for what you did.

Speaker 1 (56:02):
Thank you Morgan. Now we get commentary from Moe Kelly.

Speaker 6 (56:05):
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 13 (56:16):
I'm Moe Kelly on the bin with your two minute warning.
By now, you've likely seen the video or at least
are aware of the story regarding in Vogue singer Don
Robinson how she revealed to the world she's been living
in her car for the better part of three years,
and how one of her managers wasn't exactly the help
she needed when she needed help the most. Here's the
snippet of the video, recorded and posted to social media

(56:39):
on Robinson's phone.

Speaker 14 (56:40):
You guys, for the past three almost three years, I
have been living in my car. I said it. Oh
my god, it's out. I've been living in my car.
Oh my gosh. If you remember, if you guys were
with me in twenty twenty, I did like one hundred
and five thousand interviews, and in the interim I was

(57:03):
living with my parents in Vegas and that was wonderful
until it wasn't. I love my mom, but she became
very angry and a lot of her anger she was
taking out on me, and I was her target all
the time, and I was like, I can't deal with this,
Like I respect her too, much. I didn't understand it.
I still don't, and it hurt me. And I was
sleeping in my car for maybe about a month in

(57:25):
Vegas and then the guy that was co managing me
at the time was living in LA and he said,
you need to come back to LA.

Speaker 13 (57:31):
If you listen to the fullness of the video, Robinson
shares her concerns about possibly being judged for her choices
or even her station in life after an undoubtedly successful
music career, and to that end, I will respect her wishes,
as she is neither the first nor the last of
those who have struggled after stardom. But it is another
reminder for all of us that just because we know

(57:53):
someone's glory, we don't ever know all of their story.
I'm O Kelly at mister mo Kelly on social media.
You two minute warning on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 1 (58:03):
Thanks Moe, and remember to catch mo Kelly, James T. Harris,
and Roland Martin for their daily commentary reports right here
on the Black Information Network. And that's our program for
this week. For more on these stories, listen to the
Black Information Network on the free iHeartRadio app or log
onto binnews dot com for all of the latest news
impacting the Black community. Make the Black Information Network first

(58:26):
on your car radio and iHeartRadio app pre sets. Also,
be sure to follow us on social media at Black
Information Network and on X and Blue Sky at Black
Info Net. I'm Mike Island, wishing everyone a great Sunday.
Be sure to tune in next week at this time
for another edition of the Black Perspective right here on
the Black Information Network.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
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(59:07):
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Speaker 5 (59:09):
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Speaker 2 (59:10):
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(59:42):
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