Gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one political party or racial group over another, which violates constitutional protections for equal representation and voting rights. In Florida, Democrats sued Governor Ron DeSantis's congressional map for partisan gerrymandering that would reduce Democratic seats from 8 to 4. In Tennessee, Republicans proposed splitting Shelby County (Memphis) into three districts to eliminate the state's only majority-Black congressional seat. These cases demonstrate how redistricting can systematically dilute minority voting power and undermine democratic representation, requiring legal challenges and grassroots mobilization to protect voting rights.
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DeSantis Map Sued in Florida. Tennessee Targets Black District. FBI Raids Louise Lucas (2)Ajouté :
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Folks, that's Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Coming up on Roland Martin unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Uh, Republicans and their war on black America continues when Florida Democrats are now suing over the congressional map that Governor Ronda Santis signed into law. We'll talk with the founder of the organization that filed that lawsuit. In Tennessee, they're proposing to split Shelby County, where Memphis is, into three congressional districts and split Nashville into five congressional districts. Now talked to two Tennessee lawmakers about this illegal germandering effort. The FBI has executed a search warrant on the offices and business of Virginia lawmaker Senator Louise Lucas who led the state's redistricting effort. We'll examine a new report highlighting that Tarant County, Texas sentences black people to death at a disproportionate rate than anyone else. And a black pastor claims he knows the real reason Christians are speaking about twice impeached criminally convicted felony and chief Donald Trump. H that's going to be interesting. And we'll pay tribute to former Oklahoma State Representative and civil rights leader Don Ross who passed away. Time to bring the funk on. I'm rolling Mark Unfiltered the Black Star Network. Let's go.
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Folks, a lawsuit has been filed in Florida concerning the new congressional map signed into law by Governor Ronda Santis. Democratic voters and African-Americans, plus a voter rights organization, are challenging the map, which could potentially allow Republicans to gain up to four additional seats. The National Redistricting Foundation and the Elias Law Group, filed the lawsuit in Florida's second judicial circuit court on Monday. They are representing the Equal Ground Education Fund and several Democratic voters shortly after Dantis approved the map. Jasmine Bernie Clark, the founder of Equal Ground, joins us right now. Jasmine, glad to have you on the show. Uh what is the basis of the lawsuit that y'all have found? What what legal argument are y'all making?
>> So, the new congressional map that was proposed here driven by Governor Ronda Santis and then passed by the legislature um which they chose to go along with in a partisan fashion. It clearly violates Florida's fair district amendments. If folks are not familiar with that, Florida is one of the most unique states in the nation where voters put on the ballot in 2010. Two amendments. The first one requires that you cannot dilute um the political strength of a group of individuals based on their race. They should be able to vote for the candidate of their choice as a group. And the second one is that you cannot draw maps for partisan benefit or to um benefit one party over another. And so what Ronda Santis did was he published a map that essentially made its way onto Fox News that was red and blue, all red and a few speckles of blue. It was a clearly partisan map. It has a 86% projection that Republicans will win uh congressional seats this coming fall. 24 to be exact and four Democratic seats. That's down from eight original Democratic seats to four Democratic seats, increasing um the Republicans chances of winning those seats this fall. And so our primary basis is that it's unconstitutional.
It's partisan gerrymandering. The lawsuit argues that it violates our state's fair district's amendments by being drawn to favor one political party over another.
>> So now here's what jumps out. Um, they're also screwing over Hispanic voters in Florida. What are they saying?
Cuz I'll be honest, Jasmine, all I've seen so far, and maybe they're speaking, all I've seen so far are black folks who are uh challenging this.
>> You know, we have residents from across the state of Florida who represent a diverse network of individuals. Um, they aren't just black folks. They're black and brown people. There are some white individuals who are part of this lawsuit, but everyone is impacted by this lawsuit. Whether you are white, black, or brown, Democrat, or Republican, you are impacted by having your voices diluted at the polls. And also having our state pick its elected officials versus voters picking their elected officials. The governor made this decision in secrecy and in private without citizens to tell you who's going to represent you, and that's not the way this process should work. So it's the lawsuit is made up of a number of different individuals and the work we do is in coalition with black and brown folks across the state.
>> Now uh explain to people about this Florida law you say that they have broken. When did that start? When did that go into effect?
>> So in 2010 a citizen ballot initiative was introduced on our ballots. In order for a ballot initiative to be introduced you have to obtain a percentage of signatures across the state of Florida.
upwards a million signatures in order for them to be vetted by the Supreme Court and then for the Supreme Court to also approve that language. And then once it makes it onto the ballot, you then have to obtain 60% or more of the vote in order to get it passed. That's more than what is required to win governor in the state of Florida. And more than 60% of voters said, "We want fair districts. We want these amendments." And so again, what they do is they ensure that you do not create or the legislature does not create a map that favors one political party over another. And it does not create a map that dilutes or takes away representation from a very specific group of individuals based on the racial demographics. So that is what the amendment is. And let me also be clear, the United States Supreme Court points to Florida as an example of what other states should and could be doing to help protect them around the gerrymandering that is happening in their states. Or at least that was the previous reference.
We now know legislators across the state or across the country are doing quite the opposite of what was previously recommended to them.
>> Well, uh the issue that doubt was the lawsuit filed in state court or federal court? It was found in state court because the fair districts amendments are here in the state of Florida.
>> Uh and obviously the issue you have there is that you have a supreme court uh that is packed by Republicans and uh when Ronda Santis uh ignored the legislature and drew his own maps uh in 2022 wiping out two black districts uh the Supreme Court allowed him to move forward with that.
>> Yes, that is correct. I think what we really should take a look at this time around, and I've been saying this to a lot of different folks, is that I don't think all is lost. This map is a map of a projection. It is not a map of ultimate outcome. This is what Florida Republicans are projecting that they will win this fall. They will win 24 of the 28 congressional districts in this state. However, voters have an opportunity to flip those projections on their head. They have an opportunity to change the direction that Governor Ronda Santis thinks that this election is going to go in. They have a ton of evidence and reasons why they should not be supporting a governor who has taken away their ability to elect a candidate of their choice. In addition to the fact that Florida is now in its second month of unemployment below the national average under a Trump presidency, we are dealing with a housing crisis, insurance costs. You we're dealing with what everyday folks and flidians have been dealing with for a long time under this administration. My hope is that they will take those issues and concerns with them into the ballot box and again look at this as a projection, not a final outcome.
>> All right, then. Jasmine Bernie Clark, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
>> Thank you for having me.
>> Bringing in my panel, Rebecca Carell, president, CEO, Fair Elections Center out of DC. Robert Patillo, civil rights attorney, the Patillo Law Group out of Atlanta. Joy Cheney, founder of Joy Strategies out of DC. Glad to have all three of you here. Robert, I'll start with you. Um, look, the Supreme Court uh is doing all they can, these six right-wing Supreme Court justices, uh, to do the work of Republicans. Uh, they're aiding, and betting in them left and right. Uh and uh but the reality is uh you still have to abide by laws. Now in the case of Tennessee, they're trying to actually change the law that stops them from doing mid decade gerrymandering. Uh and Governor Ronda Sanders has to go up against this as a point I made uh to our guests. The problem here is this right-wing Supreme Court uh typically goes along with whatever the governor wants.
>> You're you're completely correct. And the problem with this the voting rights issue that we have right now is many of us have been uh yelling into the void for the last 25 years that this is coming. Uh my first major action as a civil rights activist was working with Reverend Jackson as a college intern on the reauthorization of the voting rights act back in 2005. And even back then we were telling people that they are forming uh this failates meant to bring down voting rights. We told them after Shelby versus Holder, we have to pass legislation that will butress the Voting Rights Act. We told them during the Biden administration, we have to pass the John Lewis uh right uh Freedom to Vote Act right now because this is coming. Well, now it is here. And the Republicans have been working for the past 20 years, one to stack state and local legislatores. The same way that Donald Trump interfered with the Indiana pro uh state houses and state senate primary yesterday is how we need national Democrats coming in to buttress these state and local races so we can start state taking back these state houses the same way that they have been pushing these uh the judiciary on the federal level to stack it with young Heritage Foundation MAGA aligned judges people who are um 29 30 years old who will be on the bench on the federal bench for the remainder of their lives.
We need to be doing the exact same thing because now we're in the uphill battle.
Now they're in the cat bird seat and we're going to have to fight back. And the only thing that beats this is massive levels of voter mobilization.
You want to split up Memphis? You want to split up Nashville? You want to split up New Orleans? You want to split up every single black district? Okay, we will go and we will get black uh registration numbers up to 70 or 80%.
We'll get turnout numbers up to Obama 2012 or Biden 2020 numbers. And we will make you come and campaign to these communities. Explain to them why getting rid of DEI, why firing 300,000 black women, while ending criminal justice reform is in their best interest.
Because guess what? The next time Democrats are in power, we are going to be expecting them to wield every tool of the federal government the same way we're seeing the extreme mega project 2025 agenda do so. because we have to pass the type of laws that will prevent this from happening for another 50 or 100 years. We see now that everything that we told everyone was true the whole time as you would say we tried to tell you that this was coming and now was no time to sit no time to uh to cry no time to talk about what had happened. We need people to pay as much attention to the destruction of the voting rights act as they paid attention to the destruction of Meg Stallion and Klay Thompson's relationship. We need to have a mass massive social media presence, a massive media presence. And we need to be fighting right now to win in the midterms this fall, to win in 2028, and to get these laws reversed before the end of this decade because if we allow this to become entrenched, we will have a permanent MAGA majority at every level of government.
>> Um, Rebecca, uh, you with the Fair Elections Center, uh, you want fair elections. What Republicans want are guaranteed wins.
Um, you know, Orland, I was up on the hill last week representing fair election center um, testifying testifying in support of full throat voting rights in this country for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of race, regardless of what zip code you live in, because we firmly believe that if you are eligible to vote and you register the vote and you cast your ballot, your ballot indeed should be counted. Full stop. Every person in this country ought to want that. This is a nonpartisan issue. But what we're seeing is this is a power grab issue. Something that I also want to remind um um folks is remembering Rahm Emanuel's part in this and the 2010 um census and redistricting effort um that he led on behalf of the White House of convincing um black elected officials across the South to give up um some of their uh parts of their district in order to grow the Democratic map. And so what happened was you saw an increase in um Democratic seats across the south up and down the ballot, but you also saw a weakening or a dilusion of of the concentration of black voters in those um um perspect those respective districts. And so as a result of that, you saw a increase over what 40% increase in CBC members across the country. So yes, that was a good thing, but at what cost? Pre previously we had CBC districts that were 65 70% black. Now we have some CBC districts that are 40 or 45% black and is those CBC districts are in danger. One thing I do want to point out um Robert is right.
This has been decades in the making. But I want to point out that this is the Chief Justice Roberts court. And under this Robert's court, we know in 1982 that Roberts wrote a memo saying he wanted to end the Voting Rights Act. He wanted to get rid of it full stop. So now we see as a result of 44 years of planning and cunningness, we see that the Voting Rights Act is effectively no more.
>> You know, Joy, uh the point Rebecca made there, uh Cornell Belture often talked about that in terms of how do you expand the map for Democrats because if you do that, yeah, you you you lessen your uh black voters in those CBC districts, but if that then gets the major that if that g then wins Democrats the House, those CBC members actually have more power than they are in the minority.
What you're seeing here though is what you're seeing are Republicans who want to completely wipe all those seats out.
They're not weakening uh they're not weakening congressional districts.
They're wiping them out. Uh we're going to talk a little bit later about Tennessee. Again, they're trying to split Memphis into Shelby County into three dis three congressional districts.
Uh Nashville, where they previously gerrymandered that they Nashville was split amongst three Republican districts. Now, Nashville will be split among five Republican district district if this map goes into effect. And I just think that uh from from the Democratic side, uh you have to play absolute hard ball. You cannot you cannot uh try to be nice and fair about this. And if Republicans go to the mat and if Alabama wipes out both districts there, if Mississippi wipes out Benny Thompson, if Tennessee wipes out that district, South Carolina is saying they're not going to move on Clyburn district now, but they might do it in the next cycle. Uh I think California has to go 52 to zero. I think California, Illinois, New York State, they've got to they've got to go completely do the exact same thing because what we also got to recognize is that 2030 when the census is taken, it's projected that those blue states, California, New York State, and Illinois are going to lose congressional seats.
And 11 of those uh congressional seats are going to move to the south. So this is really this battle is a 2026 battle, but it's also a 2030 2032 and beyond battle.
>> That's right. So we um you know Roland is as usual completely uh zeroed in on what the issue is for those out there who are like me who don't like to see this partisan jaring. I'm from Florida.
Um so I'm glad that we have uh the law in Florida and I hope that the Supreme Court in Florida will uphold it. Of course, we already know that they may not, but at the very least, they have the possibility of doing so because we have a law on the books that that that disfavors these partisan maps and and says that they are unconstitutional.
That said, moving forward, we are going to have to have some partisan germandering just to make sure we do not have a power grab that is complete by the Republican party, which thinks it has the corner on who votes and how they vote. We're I'm not so sure that's correct. I'm not so sure this is going to work out for them. You made the point earlier about the fact that they might be losing some Latino districts. Um they might be losing some other districts that might actually have gone for them.
I think that they are going to also upset some white people who may vote in a surprising way for candidates in those areas who may not look like they're always expecting. I think the CBC is making the case that there are many districts where white pe where black people can absolutely win in majority white districts and we cannot leave anything off the table. But what their intention is is to make it impossible to have black and Latino leaders at the CBC and the CHC at the numbers that they are now. They see that as an existential threat to them. And so that is what they are going for and Democrats have to respond in kind. And then after that, I do think we have to look at how we got ourselves in this situation and how we get out. But if we wait, if we try to play the high road, if we try to pretend like the the, you know, they're not going to have census shenanigans that are going to mean that they shift more power to the south, you know, we will never catch up, >> right?
>> They cannot win on their ideas. They have to steal the election, and we have to be willing to overcome it.
>> All right. Uh, I got to go to a break.
come back. Uh we're going to talk uh more about what's happening. We're going to talk about uh what's happening in Tennessee. Alabama is also making their moves as well uh when it comes to these districts. Lots to break down. You're watching Roland Martin unfiltered on the Blackar Network.
>> On a next a balanced life with me, Dr. Jackie, a relationship that we have to have. We're often afraid of it and don't like to talk about it. That's right.
We're talking about our relationship with money. And here's the thing, our relationship with money often times determines whether we have it or not.
Balancing your relationship with your pocketbook. That's next on a balanced life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network.
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for the shameful, despicable Donald Trump Department of Justice continues to do what they do. Uh this morning, the FBI uh raided the offices of Senate Virginia Senate President Pro Tim Louise Lucas, the Democratic leader who played a key role in the redistricing effort there, facing allegations of corruption.
The FBI uh executed multiple search warrants in Portmith, Virginia, targeting both her office and the cannabis dispensary she co-owns Next Door. Lucas has been a strong advocate for marijuana legalization. However, 2022, her business was found by the Virginia Mercury to be selling Delta 9 THC, which is illegal to sell in Virginia. Additionally, many products in her store were discovered to be mislabeled. Now, Lucas is known for her uh combative presence on social media, where she shares memes supporting Virginia's uh Democratic efforts and engages in strong confrontations uh with Republicans, including Donald Trump and Ted, Senator Ted Cruz. Uh now, uh they conducted this raid. Now, of course, Fox News was present, which means that they were tipped off by this uh before. Now, uh you have uh different statements uh that have been um uh sent uh that have been posted. Uh and so I want to uh share some of those with you to see what is being said by uh folks. Uh now uh uh Abigail Spanberger uh the governor of Virginia uh her office uh declined to comment uh because of this investigation. Now according to the Washington Post uh the DOJ DOJ claims that this investigation began uh under President Biden. Again we are talking about the Donald Trump uh White House and so frankly uh it's hard to believe anything uh that they say. Uh Don Scott who is the Virginia Speaker of the House issued this statement. Let's start with he said speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott released the following statement regarding today's FBI raid involving Senator Louise Lucas.
Let's start with this. Senator El Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything. I am deeply concerned by today's FBI raid given the politicization of this administration.
An FBI led by Cash Patel and the Justice Department run by President Donald Trump's former personal attorney. I think people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.
At this point, we simply do not know what this ultimately means. Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public. It also raises important questions. How was Fox News, a national media outlet, first on the scene? A national do they know about the raid beforehand? If so, who approved that? And what more information is there about this raid was actually was actually about Virginiaians deserve answers before anyone rushes to political conclusions. Again, that was Virginia Speaker uh of the House uh Don Scott with his statement regarding uh this uh raid of the home and the offices uh the cannabis business of uh Senator Louise Lucas. Now, that was that statement. Uh uh so other statements were released. Uh, Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia, uh, he said this, "While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that the this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump's repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents. It should be noted that this is occurring just two weeks after Senator Lucas helped lead the successful effort by Virginia voters to reject President Trump's attempt to rig the midterm elections. This raid on Senator Lucas's office and businesses also comes as President Trump has pressured the Department of Justice to pursue investigations and prosecutions against New York attorney. No, got to go back to my iPad.
Thank you.
The raid comes, this raid on Senator Lucas's office and businesses also comes as President Trump has pressured the Department of Justice to pursue investigations and prosecutions against New York Attorney General Leticia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and multiple Democratic members of Congress.
Like all Americans, Senator Lucas has a right of to due process and a presumption of innocence. Look, both of them are absolutely correct. Uh I can tell you right now, I trust nothing, absolutely nothing from this Department of Justice. Uh Donald Trump is all about uh targeting his opponents. And Rebecca, there's no doubt that he is seething at Senator Louise Lucas for what happened in Virginia.
>> Yeah. You know, um he's a big man. And guess what? Uh if if I was a betting person like maybe some of his family members and betting a poly on the poly market um I I would bet on uh on the senator. I think she's going to be just fine. She understands that this is an a political attack because of the work that she's doing in Virginia. Um, I find it really interesting like even last week there are folks who didn't really understand that she's the reason why um there's going to be the type of representation in Virginia that that you know it would now be as a um result of those maps. They didn't realize it was a black woman behind it. And so, you know, this administration has shown its willingness to attack and go after black women, to malign black women, to call black people period low IQ. Um, and in this, you know, I think the person with a high IQ is the senator and she'll be just fine.
>> Joy.
Um, Robert, >> look, Roland, we all know what this is.
This is a bl brazen political attack on his enemies. And we've seen that above all else, uh, the one thing the President Donald Trump is afraid of are black women. You can see him going after Leticia James, going after Bill Mosby, going after Fonnie Willis, going after Stacy Abrams, going after Kamla Harris.
This is part of his ethos. This is part of the white nationalism um budding directly into misogyny. Uh that creates kind of the cornucopia of of bigotry that is Trumpism. Uh this idea that there's no way that a black woman can uh talk that to him or criticize him or stand up to him because he believes they are fundamentally lower than him. uh you uh look at the uh uh 20th century uh philosopher Simone de Bvar in her siminal work second sex he talks about the fundamental otherism of women within the society at that time this of course is coming out of the school of thought of contism which is also spurred upon uh by John Paul Sarder and France Fenol but in uh but in her work the second sect she talks about this fact that even within these spaces even with these same accolades even with the same achievements the white male power structure will still see women as being fundamentally other to all aspects of society, not so much as being less than.
This idea that they can never be fully part of the group. that if you put that together with the teachings of Fenong when they talk about the uh need to break apart from the fundamental shackles of oppression you'll see what of this fear complex that is created around white nationalist around misogynist where they are terrified of the idea that someone who does not come from their great western civilization as they call it come from their same northern European genetics can actually stand up to them uh intellectually stand up to them legally and beat them. This is why they go after DEI. This is why they go after programs of affirmative action. It's not that they want a meritocracy. They simply think they are too good to even be part of this conversation. I think these charges will of course be dismissed out of hand. Uh this idea somehow that uh you're going to go after this woman for CBD Delta 9 business while we're giving billions of dollars of tax breaks to the marijuana industry. I I I I think we know exactly what this is, where this will go, but it's very important that it does not deter us. It does not scare us. It's not does not stop us from launching these fights against the extreme far-right mega agenda because at the end of the day, they can't arrest us all if we all stand united and smoke your Delta 9, smoke your Delta 10. Go ahead and support this uh um this senator because we have to stand up against this agenda.
Uh well, look, there's there's no doubt and uh listen, they're going to try to do, you know, all they can. And again, I don't trust anything from this Department of Justice. Uh all right, folks. Let's talk about what's happening. uh Tennessee. Uh first of all, I would say Tennessee is ground zero, but it's not really ground zero because these nutcase Republicans are doing all they can to attack uh black folks all across the South as a result of the Supreme Court decision in the Louisiana verse.
First, they are trying to subvert a law that doesn't allow mid decade gerrymandering. Yeah. Now, what they done what they've done today is they've released a map that splits the state's ninth congressional district and divides Tennessee's only majority black congressional seat located in Memphis.
Now, the new map designates three districts in Memphis or Shelby County with two extending all the way to Williamson County some 200 miles away just outside of Nashville. As a result, Nashville and the surrounding areas have been divided into five districts, up from four. A special session convened by Governor Bill Lee began on Tuesday.
Lawmakers are expected to move quickly as the timeline for adopting a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms is very tight. Procedurally, bills must be discussed on multiple days, making it unlikely they will be adjourned before May 7th unless rules are suspended or modified. and Republicans, well, they got super majority because they can do whatever they want. Joining us now is a Tennessee State Representative uh Gloria Johnson.
We also have uh London Lamar, Tennessee State Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, who represents the state's largest black population. Glad to have both of y'all here. Um the thing that just jumps out at me that jumps out at me uh when you look at this here um uh London is that um they don't give a damn about the people. Um they they don't care. I mean their whole deal is we don't care what y'all say. Y'all could come here, protest, do whatever. We do not care. We do not care. and um uh they would do whatever they want and you've had people coming to the coming protesting and doing all that sort of stuff. Those things have been happening. Uh and so the they they've got to feel maximum pressure on this issue.
Absolutely. And I one thing I want to tell you is we going to bring all the pressure and the smoke this week especially tomorrow when this final votes happening. Look, I am appalled at the decision of my colleagues to call us back to a special session just over a week after we already dismissed regular session to do the unthinkable. Before the ink is even dry on the Supreme Court decision, they're already chipping away at Memphis voters for their own benefit.
And this is the one of the most racist actions that is ever being taken in modern legislative history here. To simply act like and deny that you are stripping away a community's voting power for your own benefit is egregious.
But I'm not shocked because my Republican car colleagues are heartless.
This past legislation, they already took off our school system. They already took our airport authority. They already sent the National Guard in our city. Now they stripping away our votes. This is a pattern of diluting black political power in our state for a greater white agenda and for control. And what I want to say to the people is while the numbers may be stacked against us, while they may have already decided in the in the rooms that they're going to pass this bill, that doesn't mean that we can't raise hell while we are here and that's all the attentions we have tomorrow before this vote is placed. We want the world to know that we are not walking away quietly, that we are going to call them out on this racist political power grab that they are implementing on the Memphis community.
>> Uh, Representative Johnson, you literally call this um, white power.
>> Yes. I mean, I don't call it a special session. It's a white power rally. It's about them uh, collecting as much power they can for our white supermajority. I mean, that's what it is. Senator Lamar is correct and she, you know, she was questioning someone. I was watching her committee from a TV screen because they didn't even allow members in the Senate commit judiciary committee to be present when it was happening. So, she was asking pretty simple questions uh of another senator and he was so arrogant and basically refused to answer the questions. a simple question with a simple answer and trying to deny all culpability for maps that he drew. He did admit to drawing the maps, but just playing dumb on on what they were doing.
It's disgusting. These are folks who cannot win a fair fight. And so they want to rig these maps. and they want to rig these maps by taking away power and as Senator Lamar said, diluting the power of the black voters in the Shelby County area. And that is egregious. It is absolutely disqualifying. It is absolutely racist. And you know, our speaker in the House today, this morning, before we all even got here, printed out what he called the new map for uh Tennessee. and it was just a solid red map.
You know, he's completely denying that 35 to 40% of voters are in Tennessee or Democrats. They have no representation.
According to him, everything's red. It is remarkable the arrogance and um the feigned ignorance they have about these maps that they're presenting and trying to pretend as if we are not seeing what's happening right before our very eyes. You know, with more than 35% of the vote in Tennessee out of nine congressional districts, we should have three. But they have gerrymandered them all away. in this last ditch effort to cut up Memphis is so blatant and so racist and so devious.
It is disgusting. It's disgusting to be in a room with these people.
>> The Tennessee Holler uh posted these this video here. This is um uh this is uh Representative Justin Jones challenging uh the Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton. Listen to this.
Nobody ever silenced you.
I know I know you feel like speaking.
I'm talking to to Cameron sex.
>> It is wrong Cameron. It is wrong.
>> Not well on what you're doing in this moment.
>> What do you racism?
>> It is racist. That's not my chairman.
>> Oh, that's not my chairman.
>> I hate just >> I mean, they're literally just laughing about this here. I want to play this uh I want to play this uh this other video here. Um this proposal, >> give me one sec, guys. Pull the audio down, please. Uh I want to play this other video here. Uh this is literally um State Representative William Lambert uh actually saying that oh that he he didn't know Memphis was majority black.
Oh my god. Listen to this.
It's not part of the equation of TCA2.
This says we are allowed to enter into this conversation.
>> Now, now here's what's also strange here. First of all, I'm not privy to those demographics. Like, what the like where in the hell have you been living?
>> Uh, but London, explain to me this here. How does the the Louisiana vers case, how does that impact Tennessee?
>> So, actually the ninth congressional district wasn't necessarily drawn to align with the voting rights act. It was drawn because that's the way it's been for over a hundred years. They try to keep one community continuous. It just so happens that the people of Memphis over the years are predominantly African-American. And when we exercise our vote, we are actually deciding to vote Democratic. Now, being black doesn't obligate you to any level of political party. Let's make that very clear. The reason black people vote Democrat in the ninth congressional district and in the Memphis area is because the Democratic party has aligned with the issues that they most care about. So, right now, this the decision shouldn't impacted the their ability to redraw the lines at all because it's not about um any of the things that they're claiming. Let me also go back to that video clip that you just talking about.
There are plenty of times leader Lambert has known or has stated around the black population in Memphis. So, he is downright lying on the record. And in the Senate, when I ask my Senate colleague, does he know Memphis is black? He is downright lying because he went to law school in Memphis, Tennessee. So if you actually lived in Memphis, Tennessee, you actually know Memphis predominately black. So to downright lie on record and in front of people is just egregious and it's disgusting and it's even more uh reason the world gets to see what the Republicans and the Tennessee General Assembly are actually doing. They are downright deliberately lying. They are trying to cut the black vote. They are splitting this district in three parts with even numbers of black representation in each uh the difference of one or two points so that they could dilute it with white voters. They're even breaking some of the law around the 14th and 15th commit amendment around racial bias with this attempt. So the Republicans are going to do everything they can in front of everybody to get this done. They don't care if it's racist. They don't care if it takes away our vote. All they want to do is basically kiss Trump's ass. And they want to do whatever he says to make sure they can try to maintain some power in Congress because the policies that they push aren't good enough to actually win the hearts and the votes of the American people. It's disgusting. It's voter disenfranchisement. And they going to have to answer somebody one day. And if they don't answer to us in these next couple of hours, they going to answer to a greater power. And I feel sorry for them on that day. So, Professor Seeku Franklin, Middle Tennessee State, uh, testified, laid it out very clearly.
What is at play here? Now, obviously, they don't give a damn what a black professor has to say. Uh, but I do want to play, uh, his remarks. Um, here we go. This proposal is racially discriminatory, unconstitutional, and undermines existing election administration system. First, if enacted, the proposed plan will be the most devastating attack on the Voting Rights Act, both the letter and the spirit of the law in modern Tennessee history. Simply put, the proposal does something that we have not seen before, and it has no precedent in modern America. It takes away the voting rights and meaningful political power of a cohesive jurisdiction that a majority black voting age population resides in in a city that is the same size as Boston, Las Vegas, and Baltimore.
Furthermore, unlike other minority majority districts that have been litigated in court from the early 1990s to the Cala case, the ninth district is not a politically engineered district or drawn under the mandate of a federal court order. It is an organic congressional district naturally emerging by virtue of location, geography, and shared interest of which its main hub of Memphis is the second most populated black city by percentage in terms of urban municipalities in the country. The proposed plan, in other words, is black vote dilution at an industrial scale, and it undermines the voting rights of Shelby County voters and the equal protection of them under the 14th Amendment. There's additional evidence that patterns of racial discrimination are shaping this effort to abolish the ninth district. In the last round of redistricting four or five years ago, Shelby County, I want to emphasize this, lost one seat in the state of House of Representatives.
Shelby County also lost an opportunity district or a biracial seat in the state senate that would have given black voters a chance to elect a candidate of their choice. And as you well know, there's a recent decision to overtake the school board. And we know that race has been front and center to congressional redistricting through due to an internal uh leak of an email um several years ago in which some opponents to racial justice and racial redist and and civil rights openly discussed race, Memphis, and congressional redistricting. hands up >> this proposal >> glory I mean bottom line here um one by them having a super majority they can do whatever they want uh they don't care about local control they want to completely control and dominate any area that's Democratic which is why they split Nashville up now there's now they're screwing over Memphis uh and and what I keep saying to people is that the only way this changes is that we have got to see the most aggressive voter turnout out uh since 1965 when the Voting Rights Act uh was approved. Uh we've got to see uh people of conscious and and listen, when I look at uh Tennessee Holland, look at their I see I see a lot of white folks out there protesting. I see Latinos and others. I mean, you know, the only way to stop these people uh is that they're going to have to be completely overwhelmed at the ballot box in November.
>> Absolutely. And I'll tell you this, uh, Roland, they piss me off enough, I'mma be on the ballot, too. So, watch me turn out some voters. This new district sits in my Senate district. They drew other members together, and one of the districts they specifically carve out to make sure one Republican senator is guaranteed a seat in Congress. And so, what they're going to do is they think they are killing one Democratic seat.
They may end up getting three new Democratic seats with what they're doing. So, you're going to have people like me putting ourselves out there to make sure we let the people know what's going on and we going to turn out voters ourselves.
>> Um, >> and that's one thing.
>> Yeah. Go ahead. Go ahead.
>> That's one thing in Tennessee. You can run for a state office and a federal office at one time. And so, people are going to do what they need to do.
They're going to open up the filing until May 15th. So, you're going to see other people stepping up. And we know that when they first did this in the 2021 census to Nashville, they split it split it three ways. Um the the seats that they created, what they're going to run into is within a couple of cycles, we're going to have three seats instead of one out of Nashville. So yes, the voters are going to get out. We're going to turn out. I'm in East Tennessee and I told folks on on Mayday, I said, "You guys pack your cars, pack your tents.
We're going to go to West Tennessee and we're going to get out and we're going to knock doors and make sure we get every voter out there because we are going to show them that Tennessans do not want to see this. The super majority does, but even the majority of independents, Republican voters, and Democrats don't think this is fair, don't want this to happen. And not one of those Republicans asked their constituents what they wanted. Uh but but the only problem there is that what we've often seen before is that Republicans say that uh when it happens, but when it comes to the ballot box, they do not penalize uh those same individuals. Listen, those same Republicans, they were against they were against it happening in Indiana. Well, last night, uh Donald Trump's preferred candidates uh wiped out several anti-jerrymandering uh Republicans in the primary there. Uh and so that's what I I just think that we have to understand that uh and what's going on here. Uh and I I I also and I made this point here um made this point here, Senator Lamar, uh last couple of nights that when I say we have to have see that massive turnout, we have to see how people are being driven to the polls. Uh, you know, I got to remind people that Tennessee, uh, when you talk about, uh, the Nashville movement, when you talk about what took place there, uh, with, uh, Reverend James Lawson, I got a chance to interview him a few years ago when I was in Los Angeles. Uh, we talk about those, uh, SCLC workers.
We talk about John Lewis and Diane Nash.
Guys, pull up my iPad, please. That's Reverend Lawson I'm talking to. Uh, talk about Diane Nash and those folks right there. and we we talk about them. Um, you know, they were trained uh there in Nashville. And so you have that long history of Vanderville, Fisk, Mahairi.
Uh, and I just think that what I've been saying is that starting now, this is Freedom Summer 26. This means that in in May, June, July, August, September, uh we are driving people. We're educating.
We're enlightening. We we we're we're teaching them about what's going on. And this has to be a hardcore grassroots movement. Uh and that means hitting the ground. That means, you know, if this thing passes, studying these maps, seeing where the voters are and taking these folks out because, yeah, I would love nothing more to see this map backfire on Republicans in Tennessee, on Republicans in Florida, on Republicans in Mississippi and the other states.
>> Absolutely, 100%. We are already working with grassroots groups on the ground to make sure we are educating people and let them know um that their voices need to be heard, the consequences of these decisions. We're hosting a town hall in 10 minutes with Stacy Abrams because the public was denied the ability to submit their own maps or have public comment on the maps that are being proposed to pass tomorrow. So, we're doing everything we can to empower the people, uplift the people and give them a voice in this process. But you're right, they are going to see people like me, Senator London Lamar, potentially be Congresswoman London Lamar because the maps are getting bluer by diluting Memphis. Instead of allowing them to have eight strong red districts, they are now creating nine more blue districts because they are impacting the vote of Memphis. So this will absolutely back backfire. The absolutely people are mad. Absolutely. People in the rural areas are also going to vote in arms.
They are just as broke. They are just as hungry. Under Trump's administration, their lives have not improved. They are losing business to the urban areas. They don't like each other. The local governments don't have no money. So, the Republican part is doing all they can, not only to try to dilute our vote as black people, but they also doing uh doing what they're doing at the expense of their own people who lives are freaking suck. They their lives are not good.
like they are living terribly in the rural areas of Tennessee. And so what you're going to see, you're even going to see Republicans who are frustrated with their own leadership, who are focusing on callous pity fights with black people and poor people in Memphis rise up in arms to say, "I want something different, and I'm willing to give them a chance." And so what we're going to do is do our best to challenge every Republican that dares run for these new districts with a Democrat who is capable. and we will see victory at some point in time.
>> Um, Representative Johnson, uh, when Senator Lavar just said about that having that, uh, that town hall, this is what I have been saying. Every week, every week in the cities in Tennessee, whether it's Memphis and Nashville, others, there should be a citizenship training program every single week. I don't care whether whether and I'm talk elected officials, nonprofits, activists, every single week there should be something because that's what it is going to take. This is going to be a data race. And and the thing that I've always said to people, I we were in Kansas City with the um Urban League there and they were talking about an initiative there and I said to them, I said, "We got to stop hoping people show up at the ballot box. We got to stop praying they show up. I said, "We literally have to go out and touch." I said, "Go look at the last election."
And when I was there, I said, "Go look at how many votes did the mayor get last year." I said, "If he got 40,000 votes," I said, "You should go out and touch 60,000 folks who agree with you and then say, "Hey, mayor, we got 60,000 who stand with us." That means that come election time, you going to lose. That's how we have to approach this. Uh, and again, it has to be every single week between now and election day. that is the only way to to uh break the backs of these races that you're dealing with there in Tennessee.
>> Now, that's exactly right. And we work really hard. There are a few of us in in Tennessee, but you know, I've already been to multiple counties across this state. And anytime that someone asks me, I go. And I know that Senator Lamar does too. A couple of times we were both up in um upper east Tennessee on the Virginia line. Uh because we will go wherever we need to go to talk to people, to educate people, to get the message out there of Democrats want to work for Tennessee families. We are the ones that want to raise the minimum wage, want to take the sales tax off groceries, want to make sure that everyone in this state is healthy and has access to affordable health care.
And so we've got to get out there and we've got to do better. And what we really need tomorrow is a whole bunch of people to show up down here at 9:00 a.m.
tomorrow when these votes. We need to show them how many people care deeply about this because, you know, a huge majority of this state are independents.
And I have a good feeling which way independents are going to go this year.
and they're going to go with the folks that care about affordability and that care about their families. Not the ones spending all their time knowing that they've got nothing to run on and they're going to lose, but they're going to spend their time sp stealing the vote the voices of black voters. Nobody in this state likes that except for the Republican supermajority elected officials.
>> Uh absolutely. Uh Senator Lamar, we appreciate it. Uh last point here. Okay.
So, the town hall y'all having there, um, are y'all streaming that?
>> I'm not sure if it's being streamed, but it was at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill.
>> Okay. So, >> I got it. So, so here's a suggestion.
Uh, look, I'm always a digital first person. Uh and I'm a I'm a fundamental believer that uh listen, you might have a hundred or 200 in the room, but when you are using digital technology, you be speaking to thousands as a part of whatever strategy y'all do, every single time there's one of these town halls, they have to be streamed. They got to be pushed out all across the state. Uh and so YouTube, Facebook, because what that then does uh and we and that's what happened in Virginia when when we when we helped Don Scott become speaker of the house. We did five shows in Virginia. There were people who said, "Hey, I can't make it, but I saw the show." And so that's that's the thing.
Digital has to be a huge part of this strategy to get the word out. And that's also how you bypass local media who may not show up.
>> Absolutely. 100%. Thank you.
>> All right. I appreciate it. Thanks so much. Good luck.
>> Thank you.
>> I appreciate it. Um, Rebecca, um, when we say, uh, I I said the other night, this is war and you have to create a war plan, a war battle plan, uh, to beat to defeat this. Um, I I don't want to hear thoughts and prayers. I don't want to hear, "Oh my god, this is a shame." I I don't want to hear, "Man, this ain't right." No, no, no, no. This is about going to war, activating ground troops to combat these thugs all across the south.
You know what, Roland, I was on a radio show earlier today and I was talking about what a postcala world looks like um in this country in terms of dilution of um black voters, political power, Latino um delusion of power as well. and and the host start talking about oh you know this is like science fiction it's the end of the world it's dystopian I said no this is afroofuturism and let me remind you what I mean by afroofuturism my ancestors ancestors fought back the last time this happened when we look after the when we look after what happened um right after the civil war when we started to see a rapid increase in black representation especially across the south and we started to see US senators and state senators and um local elected officials um who were um voted into office at after the end of slavery. We then saw by like 1883 the Supreme Court said, "No, we're going to roll all of this back um because we can't have black political power. We can't have black people in this country making determinations on things that also impact white residents in this country." And it took about 80 90 years until the civil rights movement um for those um for for u many of those regressions um to uh to um become undone. And here's the thing, we we're we don't have 80 to 90 years under this type of Jim Crow. We don't have 80 to 90 years to wait. And the reason why I say it's afroofuturism is because we're looking at back to see what happened last time. and we're preparing for our future now because we're we're not going to do this for generation after generation after generation. But people have to get ready to suit up, get in the fight because now it's go time and people have to really understand that.
During this last segment, Roland, I was looking at voters, registered voters in Tennessee. So, I pulled up the 2024 numbers and what I saw that there was close to 4.7 million people registered um in Tennessee in 2024. And guess what?
Only 3 million showed up to vote. That's 1.7 million that stayed home. So, even as we see with these new districts in Tennessee that are likely to um to go into effect um for the midterms, there's well over 1.5 million people in the state of Tennessee who need to show up who did not show up um in 2024. And of course, all of those who showed up in 2024, especially those who actually support democracy in this country and support the right to vote in this country, we need you to show up. I don't care that it's a midterm. I don't care that it's not sexy because there isn't a presidential line um on your ballot this fall. You have to show up.
Uh Robert, uh everything that we're seeing, I predicted in White Fear. Every single thing that we're seeing and you know, when these things happen, I saw some comments people like, man, you know what miss? It's a shame. It's a shame that um that um you know we don't have Reverend Jackson >> and well guess what? We don't have Reverend Jackson. We don't have Reverend Lawson. We don't have uh we don't have uh uh we don't have James Orange. We don't have um we don't have uh Septa Mlark. We we don't have Falu HR. And so what I have long said to this generation of black people, this generation of black Gen X people and millennials and Gen Z and Gen Alpha that if 30 years from now we are still calling out Reverend Jackson, Reverend Lawson, Septa McClard, uh Constance Baker, Mley, Thood, Marshall. That means that this generation of black people weren't That this generation of black people when we were facing what we're facing right now did not rise up and stand up and swing as hard as we can. And so I don't want to hear these people whining and complaining on social media. I'm saying what, as Joe Manson always would say, what are you going to do about it?
And that's really where we are. This is this is an existential threat. Today's Republican party is an existential threat to the future of black America.
That means, folks, children and grandchildren and great-g grandandchildren that that are not even born yet. And so if this generation doesn't stand up in totality, then it's not going to happen.
>> Look, this is the the these are the times as tribe men souls. Uh essentially when we're dealing with this fight, uh we are on course to be the first generation of black folks uh to take a step backwards for our people. Uh we had a continuous incline for about 150 years stepping off of the plantations, fighting u back through Jim Crow, uh establishing the simple personhood, then citizenship, then the right to vote to vote, building black businesses, creating a black middle class, putting together the legal framework that ascended us all the way to the presidency to record numbers in the congressional black caucus, CEOs across the board. And then we took that moment for granted and we dropped the baton.
And if you look at where we are currently, the the the the most striking part of all of this is the mass silence that we're seeing in media, the mass silence that we're seeing from our uh intellectuals, from our uh uh people who have these large followings, people who uh are our celebrity class, because even if you think back to when uh Malcolm X was discussing the fact that I got I got Robert, I got to give you 10 more seconds. I got to get to George and I got to go to my next guest. So, please uh go.
Well, well, well, the point is that we need to have our people know that they are in the middle of a fight already and that they are losing and if they don't know they're fighting, they don't know who to save.
>> Got it, Joy. Go.
>> Let me just say the only thing I've been thinking about is how's the Democratic party going to respond? I have not heard enough from them, which is why people are frustrated with Democrats. It is go time. It is fight time. I'm hearing from all of our civil rights groups. What I have not heard from is the party that's ultimately being attacked here as well.
Right? So that is what we've got to we've got to see them fight and we also need to see that they are going to back black members. So that's the DRIP, the DSCC. How are they going to invest in black members? How are they going to invest in black members and Latino members and Asian-American members who may be running in majority white districts? But >> because we're going to have to if we want to keep our representation, if we want to keep black people in office, we're also going to have to be staying in those districts that remain.
>> Listen, >> how are we being represented there?
Democratic party, where are you?
>> Here's the whole deal. Okay, first of all, right now, this to me, this is not Democratic Party conversation right now.
This is a legal battle because first of all, you don't know what you're going to be facing until the maps actually get passed or not. So, you don't know that.
What I'm saying is I don't give a what they're doing. I'm talking to black people and one of the black folks uh who is fighting who is battling and they have been doing the work NAACP legal defense fund uh their leaders Jana Nelson she joins us right now she tweeted this today uh and she said breaking scotas just denied our motion to recall the judgment in Louisiana vers which a court transmitted prematurely and in controvention the procedure rules and typically affords litigants 25 days to request a rehearing of a case that was wrongly decided Jana they also lied now Sam Alto literally lied in which you pointed it out when they said, "Oh, no.
Well, these folks, uh, you know, they haven't even shown any interest in appealing."
>> Listen, uh, sometimes you got to laugh to keep from doing some some other things that, uh, are not as productive.
So, listen, uh, the court has already shown itself to be as complicit in this hostile takeover of our democracy as every other institution. Sadly, uh there's really no way to excuse this decision and what you saw most recently in this order that suggest that the Robinson appellants did not indicate that we would see it's right here. Go to my iPad. Go to my iPad while she's talking. Y'all see it highlighted?
>> Yeah. Like read what we said in the second sentence of our reply here. The court is saying while the Robinson appellants oppose it, they have not expressed any intent to ask this court to reconsider its judgment. Now, if you go to the papers that we filed before they issued that order and you read the very second sentence after we introduced our arguments, you will see that we say quite clearly that we should be afforded an opportunity right here. This court should afford appellants the opportunity to consider seeking rehearing in the ordinary course which is 25 days from the date of the decision. We got the decision last Wednesday. It is just one week fresh today.
>> But they but they what they were insisted today they were insisted on Louisiana y'all go go. Even though pursel, which they've been abiding by, which they used against Alabama 3 years ago and Louisiana, now all of a sudden, oh no, no, no, no. We got they got to go. They got to have time to go right now.
>> That's right. That's right. in a in in an election where they had already mailed out ballots to military personnel and others early in April. And at the time that the election was stopped and cancelled, there had already been 42,000 votes cast. So what we're talking about here is hypocrisy. Let's just call it what it is. It's hypocrisy. It's complicity. It's frankly a a crime against our constitution.
And when we try to rationalize it and we try to make it make sense within the rules, we are doing ourselves a disservice. What we're up against are a number of lawless actors. And we have to do exactly what our ancestors did, what my founder did, Thugard Marshall, and the incredible lawyers and clients who got rid of racial segregation. and that is to be as ingenious as we can possibly be to use those very rules and those very tools against lawless institutions.
And it's not going to be easy because the landscape has changed dramatically.
We're dealing with myths and disinformation. We're dealing with algorithms that that that blinker your understanding of the world. We're dealing with people who don't understand truth from lies and a resurgence of white supremacy amid a generation of people who don't really understand how far this country has come and what black people in particular have delivered to this country. All that people enjoy, the music, the culture, the freedoms, the rights, the protections came from the civil rights movement, came from black culture and other cultures that we opened the door to have become part of the mosaic of this populace. Sadly, we are at a crossroads and right now it is incumbent upon all of us and not just those of us who are going to be most acutely harmed. But every single America American who believes in this fantasy of America, it is being ripped apart and we have got to stand up and rise up as a people.
>> I mean look, Thood Marshall and the lawyers in that era, they had to deal with racist judges. They had to deal with folks along those lines. But you also had judges who truly uh believed in the law uh and executed the law. When I think about uh that book on on the those fifth circuit judges uh but by bass and we talked about that this is different.
I mean we are literally watching individuals just make up stuff as they go along. I mean that's what is absolutely insane here. I mean, to sit here and and I kept reminding people that they made this decision regarding a second congressional seat in Louisiana, which is the one that they allowed to go forth just three years ago. I mean, that that that case went to the Supreme Court and >> correct. We won that case. We won.
>> And it's like >> we won that case. like it went to them and they were like, "Yeah, bottom line is yep, we agree with what the lower court then it went back and the fifth circuit tried to do all another little game and they try to send it back. No, we already ruled on that and now to come back with this decision and then now to say Louisiana hurry up. Oh, it is so important they Alto they have to be allowed to redraw right now when not only Jana did they send out ballots ballots were returned some eight some 80,000 ballots had already been cast in the election and the governor goes oh no we're going to sit the house the the election the rest will go forward we're just going to carve this one out and you're like I'm sorry but my my my ballot has the house races on here What the hell?
>> Listen, um, that's what I'm saying. We are up against absolute lawlessness. And and I just want everyone to stop for a moment and think about what was the major intervening event from 2023 when we won Allen versus Milligan when Chief Justice Roberts himself wrote the majority opinion the the the 5-4 decision there and he wrote so eloquently and poetically that uh without section two the 15th amendment which is the amendment that gave black people the right to vote that the 15th amendment is a mere parchment promise.
So, so beautifully put. What happened in between 2023 and 2026? I'll tell you, a presidential election where we have a tyrant who has put fear in the hearts of anyone within his reach except those people who never feared him from the beginning. And what we're finding is that we have a a culture of capitulation in this country and for many a culture that actually wants to go back to a time when white nationalism, white supremacy governed. And I'm telling you, we're done with that. That chapter of our history has to be over. We have changed too much. And what I don't think people fully understand is how much other people have become invested in the freedoms and protections and the society that we've been able to build under the Voting Rights Act. We did not have a multi-racial democracy. We didn't have a a society that resembles anything like what we have today before the Voting Rights Act. And people are about to find out what it means without those protections. Yep. and hopefully they won't find out too late and we can still snatch it back. I know we are doing our part at the legal defense fund. I know so many other organizations are absolutely activated and mobilized and ready to go and have been even before this decision. We've been working on so many other tracks to ensure that we have other avenues to continue to build power. But we should not in any way, shape or form think that this loss of the voting rights act is not catastrophic that this is not a cataclysmic moment in our lifetimes and it is up to us to turn it around. Um, and to your point, and I've been saying this for years, whether it's LDF, Laws Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, E equal justice, I mean just Transformative Justice Coalition, so many others. I mean, y'all have been people who are not paying attention.
Obviously, they're not in courtrooms do not understand the legal warfare that has been going on. I mean, I'm talking about y'all have been engaged in legal warfare, guerilla warfare courts all across this country. You still got that case out of Arkansas where these conservatives want to keep third party groups like yourself from filing these suits by suggesting that only the Department of Justice can intervene uh and file suits in voting rights cases.
That that's the that's the extent that these people they they want to they want to stop you and ACLU and other groups from even being able to do this work.
>> That's right. That's right. I mean what one way you can look at this is that we are unfortunately experiencing the backlash from the tremendous success of all of those who came before us of all the work that we have been doing in advancing rights and protections. But what had h what happened sadly is people got too complacent. Yep. And and I'm not going to put that on black people's shoulders. I'm putting on putting that on everyone's shoulders. People got complacent. They didn't understand the deeply racist origins of this country that will always try to pull us back and pull us aunder to those ignaminious impulses to dominate to to to to dehumanize.
That has been sadly the tradition of this country from its founding. And here we are in the 250th year since the de declaration of independence uh was was was written.
And it's time for us to reflect on who we want to be for the next 250. And whether we like it or not, we are the ones who hold the pen.
>> Yep.
>> We are the ones who are writing that first chapter of the next 250 years of this country. And I can tell you one thing, we are not going to write a story that ends in tragedy for black people.
That is not who we are. It's not who we've been. And it's not what I certainly and the people who work at the legal defense fund and at the ACLU and at and lawyers all the lovely organizations that you named that is not what we were built for. We were built in worse times than this and we prevailed and we expect to do the same. But we need to mobilize. We need to pull every possible resource we have and bring it to the combat that we are experiencing right now because that's what it is.
There is a war. there was an assault on our ideals, on our principles, and we need to fight for it with every lawful tool we have.
>> Um, 30 years from now, uh, your name will be one of the name that's called where folks they stood up as well as the LDF. Uh, and folks, do me a favor. Go to my iPad right now. Y'all, the work this work cannot be done for free. Uh, I need y'all to go to NAACPDF.org or just type in engage.nwlddf.org.
Uh donations are critical because again we need folks civil rights lawyers. We need people who are on the front lines.
This is not free work and so our freedom ain't free. So please support the LDF Jana Nelson. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
>> Thank you Roland.
>> All right. Uh I'm going to uh breaking news y'all.
Folks, this just San Louise Lucas posted this on her social media. Uh she said, quote, "This is regarding the uh FBI raid on her home office as well as her uh cannabis business." She said, "Today's actions by federal agents are about far more than one state senator.
They are about power and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people." What we saw fits a clear pattern for this administration. When challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them. Just two weeks ago, Virginiaians sent a powerful message when they voted to stop Trump's scheme to manipulate the 2026 midterm elections. Voters across this Commonwealth made clear that power belongs with the people, not with politicians who tried to take power away from them. I was proud to help lead that effort, and I have never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy. I am deeply grateful for the love and support of my family and friends and for the many colleagues and constituents who have reached out in recent hours. I will have more to say in the days ahead. But know this, I am not backing down and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmith and the Commonwealth of Virginia. That was a statement, folks, uh that's posted on her social media account for Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas uh after today's uh Donald Trump uh DOJ FBI raid on her home and cannabis business located next door. All right, got to go to a break. Quick break. We come back, we're gonna talk about how Tarant County, the last large red county in Texas, how they disproportionately sentenced black people to death in that state. On top of the fact that the number of people who are dying in Taran County jails because they're MAGA sheriff, on top of that, the MAGA district attorney there is still trying to put Crystal Mason in jail for trying to vote some 9 years ago. Elections are happening in Taran County. folks, black folks, we should be leading the fight to oust those folks from office. We're going to talk about the death penalty issue next. Rolling Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Support the work that we do, folks. Like I said with the LDF, our work ain't free. And so support the work that we do. Join our bring the funk fan club. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each a year. That's $4.19 cents a month, 13 cents a day. You help fund this show, the five other shows on the Black Star Network, the other shows we want to launch, but guess what? It ain't going to happen because we ain't got billionaires and millionaires sending us checks. It ain't going to happen unless y'all support us as well. So, if you want to support this show, do me a favor. Cash app, use a stripe QR code.
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All on the website. We'll be right back.
I'm Britney Noble, Midwestorn H.B.CU educated with experience in newsrooms across the country. Well, I've teamed up with Roland Martin to bring to you the breakdown. This isn't just news, it's our stories, our voice, our community.
Join me for the breakdown Monday through Friday at midday only on the Blackar Network.
>> How you doing? I'm Mark Curry and you're watching the Blackar Network. That's why I got these glasses on cuz that black star is bright.
Folks, I um my second job out of uh uh college was uh at the Fort Worth Star Telegram there in Tarant County. So, I know this county very well, and a new report reveals that this county is exhibiting excessive use of the death penalty with death sentences predominantly pursued against people of color. The report called an extreme outlier uh race and the race and the death penalty in Taran County, the third largest county in Texas, uh was published by the Texas Defender Service.
It reveals that 92% of the death sentences sought by Tarant County prosecutors since 2012 have been against racial and ethnic minorities even though 40% of Taran County's population is white. Estelle Hebrron Jones the director of special projects for the Texas Defender Service joins us right now. Estelle, glad to have you here. Uh so when you talk about these 92% okay um that's a percentage and so how many cases where there were white defendants um and how many of those cases how many actually got the death penalty?
>> Well let me um back up and thank you for for having me. So, um, our report, you know, it outlines how the death how death penalty is used in Tarant County, um, you know, even compared to Texas, the the rest of the state just in a way that is, um, extreme. It has 7% of the population of Texas, but over 20% of all the death penalty trials uh, since 2020 have come from Tarant and almost entirely against people of color. And along with that, we reviewed 431 capital murder cases that the office um charged over a 20-year period and found that uh more than a third didn't result in any homicide conviction and that black defendants were twice as likely as white ones to walk away with no jail time at all. Um we looked at periods starting from 2012 to to look at the capital cases that had taken place and there were 13 12 of the 13 were um people from racial or ethnic minorities. And so there it's overwhelmingly clear that the death penalty is impacting um people of color, but in particular black people uh in a way that you can't really ignore that pattern.
And so um when we talk when we look at this here so are they simply not um pursuing death penalty largely against white defendants?
>> Yes. When it comes down to it um that's that's the that's the result. So when we looked at that broader period of 20 years where we looked at those 431 cases um you know people from different ethnicities uh and races are are included in that. And so for example, if I take um people who charged with capital murder in the course of a robbery, a third of those people were white. But when it comes to who actually ended up going to trial, um all of them were black. And so, you know, that's a lot of people would look at this and say, okay, don't these disparities reflect who's committing these these offenses? But and so we ask that question and the data answers it. um you know so something like that with the a third of the people uh who are charged with robbery are white but then in the end you don't see that it's not crime patterns that's that's charging patterns and the capital murder statute it's broad it covers a wide range of conduct um but because of that because of that discretion it allows there to be these kinds of disperate outcomes in the capital cases that that we were reviewing Uh, I mean, it's it's it's it's fascinating when you look at this and it goes to show you uh what's going on. And let's be clear, this is the same district attorney. Matter of fact, let me just go ahead and pull this up because um you talk about uh this office. Uh one, it is important to note um uh that uh that Tarant County uh third largest county in the state. It also is the last red county uh uh in terms of Harris County uh Houston, Dallas County, Dallas, Bayer County, Austin, Bear County, San Antonio, Travis County, Austin. Uh those are blue counties. Phil Surels is the longtime district attorney there in Tarant County. This is who he is. This is the man who is leading that office and making those decisions. Uh and Estelle what I also again we've been covering this here uh the MAGA sheriff there in Tarant County. They have an exorbitant number of jail deaths in Tarant County uh that they've done nothing about. Uh then of course this is the same county where they jerrymandered Alisa Simmons out of her seat. She's now running for Tarant County judge. Uh there that that leader Tim Clark is doing is crazy as well. Uh and this same DA show it again y'all. Phil Serels. This man is 9 years later, he's still trying to put Crystal Mason in jail for casting a ballot in an election. Nine years. That goes to show you the mentality of the people who are leading uh the district attorney's office uh there in Tarant County. Um uh since y'all published this, what's been the reaction from others? Are they picking the story up? Is it causing people uh to raise questions? What's going on?
>> Yes. So, you know, in putting together the report, we did talk to various people involved in the community in in Taran and Fort Worth who, you know, when we talked to them about our findings, they were not surprised, but seeing the actual numbers really disgusted a lot of people. Um, Phil Sorell's, he's been active in um Tarant County uh judicial system for a long time. Uh but in 2023, that's when he was sworn in as the as the DA there. Um I'm aware of the the the jail deaths. Um and so kind of all these things coming up at the same time have really gotten people um motivated and and and talking more about this. And yes, so we've had a lot of interest from different news news um outlets. Tomorrow actually in for Fort Worth, we're going to be having a press conference outside of the old courthouse there. Uh we've have a lot we've been having a lot of conversations with faith leaders in the Fort Worth Tarant community and they'll be there with us. Um and then you know we we haven't we sent a copy of the report to the DA by by email. He did not respond to us indiv individually. We did we reached out with the report and um offered to have a conversation about our our findings there. So he didn't respond to it directly but I did an interview with the Fort Worth Star Telegram and he did offer a statement in response to that.
So, you know, so he's aware of these.
Um, but in that statement, pull up what he he said. He mentioned that they do not take that he doesn't know the the race of the defendant in making decisions about um capital charges and >> right job is >> seek justice uh and give voice to the victims um and in the decision to seek death. considered facts for the case, defendants's criminal history, defendants's likelihood to commit future crime, mitigation and input from the victim's family. But, you know, from that response, there are two things there to think about. So, yes, the DA does um have you know, the role is is seeking justice um and responding to to crime, but the other part of it is about maintaining integrity in the judicial system. And so with the patterns we found that calls into question whether that is being maintained. Um, you know, I'm not going to make any conclusion about whether he knows the races of the defendants or not in these cases, but you know, he mentions, you know, mitigation and um the victim's family taking that into consideration. And those are two things that race is very much implicated in. And it would uh be great to have the opportunity to talk to him and his team about that and educate his team about that because when you look at capital punishment and who is um most affected when you in terms of the the actually receiving the death penalty, it's been shown in me multiple studies in other diverse states um like California, Ohio, Georgia that the race of the victim does play a role in whether a a DA decides to seek death in a case. So, um so even though he may not agree with our findings, I think that there are still obviously places in which he he could um maybe examine whether race is influencing those decisions. We know that people don't like to be called racist u and that's not what we're saying. We're saying that the offic's practices produce racially disperate incomes, outcomes that can't be explained by anything other than race.
Um, you know, if 12 of the last 13 people that the officers tried to execute are all people of color, if all the people um who've been acquitted of capital murder by a Tarant County jury were black, that you know that it again is indicative of how black people are impacted desperately. um you know that's whether it's conscious bias, unconscious bias, that's the record is there, the pattern is there and that's what demands a response. And so um it's really about you know we we would like we and other and members of the community want to um see they he needs to earn the public trust there and that's definitely not there.
>> Okay. Well um yeah I'm not going to call him racist. I'm going to call him full of All right. Let me go to my panel. Uh Robert, you first.
>> Uh so so on this what is kind of the the broadbased actions that the community can take uh to have input on this? But clearly uh the evidence is there.
Clearly you're being you know you've been able to bring attention to this.
But what to people who are in the community do they want to make a difference in this?
>> Yeah. No, that's a a a great question.
And I think part of one thing is continuing to be active in um in local politics. Um continuing to I always you know people always ask what can I do?
It's like when you receive a jury summons don't try and get out of it. Um but you know both in in Taran and any other place what people can do is request information from the county. So a lot of what we got is or actually pretty much everything is based on public record or things that are available uh that the public can request. You can do your own public information act requests. Uh it's not always uh um I think it's it's made out to seem that it's it's very burdensome to do, but a lot of times you search the agency plus you know public information act or PIA and you'll find a page or an email where simply you send that request for the information you want. Um we do have a couple of recommendations that involve um really just more transparency on on the part of DA and then some possible collaboration with the commissioner's court who you know they they are involved in the in budgeting and planning for this the city. So people can also um attend those meetings and voice their concerns and that they want action taken to to address what's going on and to kind of audit what the DA is doing.
Rebecca, >> so if if in Tarant County they're say that they are colorblind, they don't see race, what exactly is the criterion that they use in order to determine which cases will become capital cases?
>> Yeah. And that's exactly the question that that we want answered. You know, again, like DAS, they have discretion that is part of the job. Um, but what we but from what we've done, we've been able to uh show that that discretion is producing these disperate outcomes based on race. Um so while we can't identify exactly what is what is going on and where it is um you know at at some at some point there going to be things that are indicative of race in deciding charges.
You know, it really calls into question, okay, if you if you if you are colorblind in that again, explain or at least be curious about why you're reach why these are the outcomes. If that were if it were my responsibility and I somebody informed me that the work I was doing was resulting in harming certain um groups in my community, I would want to investigate that.
Joy.
>> Um, so if we had a justice department and a civil rights division that was really doing their job, what kinds of, you know, engagements could they do on this? What kind of interventions? And is it still a possibility two to three years from now when we might have a different electoral outcome, a different person in the White House, a different person leading the Department of Justice?
>> Yeah. I'm not sure from you I don't want to to speak on something that I'm not certain about but you know for for us in Texas you know the capital murder capital murder statute already exists and so >> right >> this really again is about the decision making of DAS and what Tarant is doing differently than other counties in Texas actually is using that burglary or robbery aggravator um to make something capital.
So, you know, whether to have the death penalty, that's a whole other conversation. Um but perhaps, yes, if there is a different um different leadership federally um that could have an impact on on what's going on. It's unlikely. I one of the things that >> an investigation I guess is more what I'm looking for.
>> Yeah.
>> Like could we have an investigation into this and the different impact on uh communities of color intentional or not?
Like right let someone else decide that.
I mean I feel like that's the you know from a federal perspective that's the kind of intervention that's the kind of evaluation that we would be looking for the justice department to do because we know it's not going to necessarily come from Texas.
>> Yeah. The problem though or one of the problems is that legally so there's a case mccleskey vmp where what was presented to the Supreme Court was there all these disperate outcomes based on race with respect to the death penalty.
This is a problem. The court five to four said actually no this is not a problem. So, it is kind of up to us in our states, in our counties to really take control of of that because constitutionally there there's um not much uh not much we can work with. Um but yeah, perhaps a different department of justice could be interested in in looking at what's going on, especially with Tarant.
it is acting differently than the other counties in Texas. And that's pretty clear.
>> Well, I'mma say again, I'mma say it. You don't have to say it. Uh the reality is uh a Democrat Department of Justice will look at it differently because that was an investigation of the jail conditions in the Taran County uh the Taran County jail under uh Biden Harris under Christian Clark who was a head of civil rights division. Yeah, that was all wiped away when Trump went there. So yeah, I think it absolutely will be a different look. Uh still where can people go to actually see the report?
>> So you can go to our website um texasdefender.org org. Um search there's a on our homepage you can see a link to it. Um but also under that resources uh menu there is a link to the page about the report and if you are in Fort Worth tomorrow at noon at the old Tarant County courthouse we will be there with faith leaders and other community leaders to discuss their responses to the findings of the report. Okay. All right. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
>> Thank you.
>> All right. Let me thank my panel for being with us. Uh let me thank uh Joy, Rebecca, and Robert. I still appreciate y'all insight on today. Appreciate it.
Thanks so much, folks. Right now, Black Star Network headlines are Britney Noble.
>> The Department of Justice recently requested the names and contact information of every election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, who was involved in the 2020 election. This request was disclosed in court filings this week.
The Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections is now seeking a federal court in Atlanta to quash the grand jury subpoena issued by federal agents. The subpoena demands the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of any staff member who worked during the 2020 election. Attorneys representing Fulton County officials argue that the purpose of the subpoena is to target, harass, and punish the president's perceived political opponents. A recently removed black sheriff from St. Louis is asking a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, claiming that the case is motivated by political bias. Former St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery filed motion seeking the dismissal of charges related to handcuffing of deputy commissioner Tammy Ross from the city justice center.
Montgomery is accused of tampering with and retaliating against witnesses connected to the incident that occurred back in February of last year. His attorneys argued that prosecutors relied on false testimony from the grand jury, improperly reviewed privileged emails from his attorney, and targeted Montgomery after he refused to resign amid efforts to remove him from office.
In contrast, prosecutors assert that they have evidence showing that Montgomery abused his official authority. These motions come just days after Judge Ste removed Montgomery from his position.
and a white mother has been arrested in Fort Meyers, Florida after being accused of attacking a 13-year-old black football player during a youth game. A viral video of the incident has sparked outrage online with many questioning just how an adult could physically assault a child in such a setting. That incident took place during a game for the Southwest Florida Panthers youth football team. 34year-old Renee Lambert is accused of repeatedly hitting the player. She told the police that she was defending herself after being struck with a helmet, but officials discovered that this claim was false. Video shows players from both teams getting into a scuffle with referees blowing their whistles. Lambert allegedly runs onto the field and appears to kick a player while he's on the ground, prompting several adults to rush in to intervene.
Lambert now faces charges of cruelty toward a child and resisting an officer.
Parents say this was not the first time that tensions escalated at a game involving her. She was recorded in a heated moment days earlier at a different event. The Fort Myers Youth Football Organization has permanently banned Lambert from all events and activities there.
>> Residents in a historically black neighborhood in Indianapolis are opposing a proposed data center development. On Monday, the city county council unanimously passed a resolution calling for a temporary halt on new data center projects in the Martenddale Brightwood community. Their objective is to pause data center projects in Marian County until May of next year. Proposal 158 introduced by white counselor Jesse Brown advocates for a moratorum while the city studies the potential impacts these facilities could have on local neighborhoods. Brown has expressed significant concerns regarding how data centers could affect the local power grid, water infrastructure, and even residents quality of life, citing issues such as noise and environmental impacts.
Currently, many of these concerns are not specifically regulated. And the Department of Metropolitan Development is still drafting a new special use district known as SU47. It would establish oversight and regulations for future data center developments in Indianapolis. This proposal seeks to prevent developers from taking advantage of outdated industrial zoning rules that could facilitate the construction of the data centers.
And Donald Trump has once again threatened to bomb Iran. This time stating he would do so at a much higher level and intensity if the country does not reopen the straight of Hermoose.
This straight is one of the world's most critical shipping routes for oil and natural gas. The warning comes as tensions rise in the Middle East and growing concerns about the impact on global fuel prices and the cost of living. According to Axios, the White House believes that it may be close to reaching a possible agreement with Iran and expects a response within the next 48 hours. Reports indicate that both sides are discussing a 14point morand me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me mor me morandum of understanding to pause the conflict and initiate a 30-day negotiation period under the proposed framework Iran would temporarily halt its nuclear enrichment efforts while the United States would ease sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds additionally the Trump administration is urging China to leverage its relationship with Iran to help reopen the Strait of Hermoose to combat growing fears of potential disruptions to global energy supplies.
>> All right, Britney, I appreciate it.
Folks, don't forget, watch the breakdown of Britney Noble every single day uh at noon Eastern right here on the Blackar Network. Again, noon Eastern on the Blackar Network. All right, going to a uh quick break. We come back, we remember former Oklahoma State Representative Donald Ross, a champion of civil rights who passed away uh yesterday. You're watching Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
>> If in this country right now you have people get up in the morning and the only thing they can think about is how many people they can hurt and they got the power, that's a time for mourning.
For better or worse, what makes America special? It's that legal system that's supposed to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority. We are at a point of a moral emergency.
>> We must raise a voice of outrage. We must raise a voice of compassion.
>> And we must raise a voice of unity.
>> We are not in a crisis of party versus party. We are in a crisis of civilization, a human's rights crisis, and a crisis of democracy itself. And guess what? You've been chosen to make sure that those that would destroy, those that would hate, don't have the final say, and they don't ultimately win.
I'm Mark Moral, president, CEO of the National Urban League, and I'm watching a Blackar Network.
was former Oklahoma State Representative Don Ross, a champion of civil rights during his decadesl long career in public service, passed away at the age of 85. Yesterday, I got a phone call from uh his daughter and a text message from his son and letting me know that he passed away. Ross served 20 years in the state house and played a key role in urging Oklahoma to remove the Confederate flag from the state capital grounds in 1989. He also spent a decade as a chairman of the appropriations and budget subcommittee on health and social services, but he was instrumental in securing more than $45 million for his district. According to uncrowned community builders, Ross is recognized as the principal fundraiser for the Greenwood Cultural Center. He also of course led the creation of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission 5 years ago when we were in Tulsa for the 100th anniversary.
I had the opportunity to meet him. Uh he told me that he was a huge fan of mine and so it was he also gave me a autographed copy of his book Pillillage of Hope, a family history from the Trail of Tears, Slavery, Segregation, the 1921 race massacre and beyond, a memoir uh by Don Ross. And so it was certainly uh sad to have his uh daughter call me and his son text me. Uh and so again um they said that he he thought highly of me in the show and so we wanted to pay tribute to him by reairing that interview that I did with him when we were in Tulsa in 2021.
Of course uh I have been covering this justice for Greenwood town hall uh and uh you've been hearing the stories come right on in. uh if you were watching the live stream uh when uh they announced uh that uh a former state official Don Ross uh was in the room and so uh I had to let him know uh he was not coming to the town hall. He was actually uh coming here to chat with me uh and that's why he's here uh and he joins us right now on Rolling Martin unfiltered. Doc, how you doing?
>> I'm fine. I'm fine. My back hurts but I'm old.
>> How old are you? You'll know. You'll know what I mean when you get there.
>> I'm 80.
>> You're 80 years old.
>> I'm old.
>> Uh I I've tal I've talked to your son.
>> I've talked to your daughter and they said growing up this was the thing that you were focused on getting justice for Greenwood.
>> Well, you know, I I don't know what justice is anymore. You know, there were a lot of things we didn't have and we tried to get them justice. I don't know we ever got that.
Still ain't got it right, >> you know. So now, so this this was my uh my focal point uh on Greenwood was to create this facility, >> right? That's what I'm proud of.
>> U to take us back. I mean, how difficult was it to get how difficult was it to get this commission uh even approved? Um take us through that. I mean, you actually >> That's an interesting question because it was it was a trick.
>> It was a trick.
>> Yeah, it was a trick. See, uh, in the legislature, uh, they don't give you half of what you want, but they'll let you study it. All I wanted was a study, so I could open the door from there.
>> Right?
>> So, when I when I presented, uh, that I I demanded this, this, and this, he said, "No, we'll give you a study, though."
And so, it it all came out of the study.
Uhhuh.
>> You know, but that was part of my plan.
I' I've been I've been there 20 years. I know what they do.
>> Right. You It's like gang recognized gang.
>> Yeah.
>> Now, when you were in the legislature, how many other African-Americans were there?
>> Five. There was a total of five of y'all.
>> Let me count them.
One, two, three, four, five.
>> Yeah.
Had to Had to be a little long, >> huh? had to be a little lonely.
>> Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. They isolated us. They treated us like stepchildren, you know. Sometime they make you not like white people. I mean, the way they treat you, they're just general. They don't never treat us right. What what do you make of So, first of all, I I heard people who not here don't know did the has the state of Oklahoma or the city of Tulsa ever actually formally apologized for what happened in Greenwood.
>> That's the interesting thing. I uh during the anniversary uh I forget which one we had all these politicians on stage.
The governor was there, the US senator was there, Borne and all of them and they're all talking about what a great job I was doing. I said, "Well, I haven't done anything because I hadn't been able to provoke you into an apology for what you haven't done." So, uh, it it it took it took a number of years for them to apologize for what they did to my community.
>> Mhm.
>> I still haven't forgiven them. I'm I'm still a little bit bitter. I hope I hope it didn't detect it.
>> You say you're still bitter. Why?
>> Yeah. Yeah. Well, there are so much that could have been done that should have been done, but but white people and and some of the the the black lackey hid behind that.
And and uh we never get done what we could have gotten done yet. You know, that's still some work that should gone on in this building that would never be done now. Mhm.
>> You know, so yeah, I'm I'm I'm I'm a little bit bitter.
H >> how do you feel about, you know, City of Tulsa builds this $30 million museum, Greenwood Rising? You know, they they are trying to create this sort of this tourist thing around Greenwood.
And you know, you got the lawyers and fighting for the survivors and the descendants. And truth be told, I mean, I've covered stores all over America.
$50 million is not a lot of money to create a victim's compensation fund.
Federal government created a multi-billion dollar 911 fund.
>> Mhm.
>> That's not a lot for a oil rich state.
>> Well, it's interesting you say that because one thing you have recognized is we are a wealthy state. We are wealthy.
We got money, right? And you can't squeeze a dime out of them white folks.
You can't get none of it. And anybody say we getting it live.
You know, the Chamber of Commerce, all of them lie.
They're not right. And and and and this building's a fluke. You know, they needed me and I needed them.
So that's the only reason that's the only reason it's here. Hadn't needed my boat, it never would have been built.
>> Mhm.
You know, so uh I'm trying not to be bitter cuz you're such a nice person.
But every time I get talking about some of the old I I get bitter, man.
>> I understand.
>> Yeah. I know what went down and and you know, they'll pat me on the back and all that I hell when I need them. I couldn't even find them, you know.
So, let me tell you, when I put out when I put out the call for reparations, not one sorority, not one fraternity, not one church or any group stood with me. I stood by myself.
By myself. Mhm. And soon as it looked like I going to get some attention, everybody was for it. They come out of the woodworks, man. So, I'm glad I retired, but I'm still a little bit bitter at my community, >> right?
>> You know, so we could Oh, we we had them. We could have got a hell of a lot more if we could just band it together.
But that that just ain't I know it's not just everywhere, right?
>> That just us.
>> Well, because they There are there are folk there's a lot of folk who scared.
Look, I mean, look, people people people come up to me and they're like, "Man, Rose, did you really say that?" I mean, you know, aren't you scared? I said, "Look, if I said, the white folks ain't giving me nothing now." I said, "Why am I going to be quiet in and uh in the hopes that I'm not going to get something tomorrow?"
>> I said, "Hell, I might as well say something and I actually might get something.
I mean nothing what's the Billy Pres nothing from nothing leaves nothing.
>> Yeah.
>> Well you you then you know how I feel don't you?
>> I understand. I understand.
>> Yeah. In many ways I'm proud of my community but more ways than not we've been disappointed ourselves cuz so much we could have done man. so much.
But all all all that jealousy, city councilman fighting the state reps and they're fighting the state senators egos all around. So finally I just quit.
>> Mhm. Now when did you retire?
>> In 19 I've been in Why did you ask me that? In 19 >> I've been in it 21 years.
>> Okay. 21 years I was here.
>> Well, you figured out I my my math ain't that good.
>> So, you So, you wrote a book, Pillillage of Hope. Uh this is the book right here.
>> Uh cuz you wanted your story on paper.
Not so much my story, but a story of of of how things evolve, >> right? Uh, I don't I I I I think I'm I'm not in that much, but how it evolved uh the ride and all that stuff evolved is in there. And that's that's what I was writing for really.
What?
>> I was read I was reading the tweet from Galani Cobb earlier and he said and he's been going around Tulsa. Yeah.
>> And he said he shocked the number of white folks today who actually believe the massacre never happened.
>> Oh, I I I believe that.
I believe that. I I I believe you can go 30 ft outside that front door and find something.
Y'all, they said, "Man, this is a racist town."
I know we say that about Chicago. Say that about everywhere. But I think I think if we compare records, we got it.
>> You know, >> you said you compare notes.
>> Yeah. You ain't never had no ride to kill. They say 300. Could have been many a thousand people, right? threw them off in the river and some mow and pitch and now it's it's it's tough time.
>> I I've run into a lot of young brothers.
We've been here since Thursday and I've run into a lot of young Oh, yeah. We've been >> You might move in.
>> We've been covering stuff all over.
>> Uh I've run into a lot of young brothers and sisters.
A lot of them are are starting businesses uh and they they really are taking hold of Black Wall Street.
>> I hope I hope don't get fooled by the by by this tomorrow. They want no I'm telling you, man. Well, in fact, I told so um Deario and I we were at dinner and that was last night and I said, "Damario, I really believe that this can become an annual 4-day event." I said, "But but I said like I had I did a panel called Reimagining Wall Street."
>> I said, "I appreciate being asked to do it." I said, "Well, there should be actual business workshops >> on how to build the business, how to market, do financing." I go to a lot of business conferences, but this could really become an annual 4-day deal that is a grassroots business conference, teaching our folk how to build and sustain businesses.
>> They started that start off well, then Black Eagles got in the middle of it.
And I I I just quit. I saw it. No, >> I mean I didn't knock it or anything. I just got away from it.
>> Got to keep got to keep ego out of it.
>> Yeah. But uh man, I I love my community. Don't get me wrong.
>> I got you. I know how you feel.
>> Yeah. But I I just don't know what can >> Oh, I look I look I get black folks who come on my YouTube channel dogging me talking to me. You not down for black people.
>> Uh and in fact, I had some cats yesterday yelling and screaming. You ain't do you you you a disciple of the white man. And I laugh and I just tell them you young and dumb. Just move the hell on.
>> Yeah. You know, I don't want to sit here and worry about these fools because I know the folk who I've talked to, who've impacted, who we've helped, and so it's going to always be a new fool.
>> Yeah. I just kind of shared uh uh when I became ill, uh I just kind of stayed away from everybody because uh I I don't want to argue anymore, >> right, >> man?
You don't know. I spent 20 years arguing with these the girls.
>> Oh yeah, you would know.
>> I do know.
>> I do know.
>> I was trying to hide it from the white boy, but it's too late.
>> He black. Oh, really, man. Man, you confess.
Lord, dog.
But uh I don't know uh I don't want to I don't want to leave a negative if you ask me in my proudest facility.
Oh, absolutely. Cuz I pretty much single-handedly did this.
>> Mhm. Tell tell you how cold blooded my people are.
I hid the funny number for for uh eight months until I got it all locked down.
>> Really?
>> Yeah. They want to make us a gym. I'm I got gym. I got a gym across the street.
Got a gym over there at Every time we get open space, they want to put some goals up and shoot basketball, man. We got about five I know about.
>> Uh-huh.
>> Yeah.
>> So you So you hid the money?
>> I hid the money. They didn't know what was coming up over it.
Me and Senator Horner when they found out about it, it was half ass built. Yeah. We we hire on architects the whole bit.
But they they would Oh, I mean what this would have been if I turn them loose for a community meeting.
>> Mhm.
>> So you kept it quiet, kept it to yourself.
>> Nobody knew. They kept seeing stuff going. So I wonder what that's going to be. I said, "Man, I don't know, man. And you got to know these brothers.
These were co- brothers.
And we we had a couple of brothers. I ain't going to call the name cuz they might be on TV, but they cutting my throat every chance they got. Every chance they got, you know. So I wasn't about to let them have a edge on me.
>> But you But but then all of a sudden it get built and you sat back and said, "See, I told y'all I was going to do this."
>> How do you know?
>> I could tell.
>> Yeah.
>> I picked it up in your spirit. Now I can call his name. Jack Henderson and and uh what is other boy's name? Oh, I forget his name. I'll think of it. Yeah, it was two of them that brought me down the line, man. Lied on me, man. We had a chance and on my mama's grave him.
>> Uh-huh. We had a chance to get $30 million >> really >> to develop this whole area.
The two black city councilman killed it.
>> Are you serious?
>> My mama's in a grave and I hope she come up and die again.
The two black, not the white ones.
White one. Wow. Cold Town, man.
Uh Jack Henderson and And what's the other boy's name? I I get so angry with him. I forget his name.
And then he just got beat by that girl, the city president now. Mhm.
That was wonderful.
>> Well, see, I know she's something cuz she keeps her gun on her hip.
>> Oh, does she have gun?
>> Oh, she she stood up in here.
>> Vanessa had her gun. She's on her arm.
She said, "I don't go nowhere without my gun.
But she's fleshy.
>> She a bad sister.
>> Yeah. And and the boy we beat is is is one of the guys always after my ass.
>> But uh it's cold town, man.
Cold town. And it has so much you could be proud of. But but uh our leadership, including me, uh we're we're so thin, indifferent.
>> Mhm.
>> I'm I I I can't include me in there cuz I'm tired now.
>> No, but you No, no, >> no. Let me real clear. But you did your job. Well, when when when I'm on the board of National Association of Black Germans, we went after CNN, they had no black top executives.
>> So, I called Bernard Shaw, >> long time anchor at CNN. This is what he told me. He said, "Roland, every generation has had to do their part.
It's now your time."
>> Mhm.
>> So, you ran the race.
>> You passed the baton. Yep.
>> You can't you you ain't supposed to run the race forever.
>> Thank you for saying that.
>> Cuz even my kids ask me, "Daddy, why don't you go do this? You got a name. I ain't got no name." You know, I did what I supposed to do and I'm through.
You do something, >> right?
>> You know, that's my kids I'm talking to, >> right? They want to demand me before they demanding themselves.
>> Mm- >> Yeah.
>> No, my parents are 74.
>> They did their job. That's right. That's right. So, I'm I'm I'm not as bit as bit as I appear to be, but I'm also not very comfortable.
>> Mhm.
>> You know, cuz I I >> Because you know what it could have been.
>> Oh, god man. And that's what's that's when I when I and I know how that feel.
I I ran the Chicago Defender >> and I knew the vision I had >> and I was adding podcast and magazines and we were going to do events and they came to me like what's and he had this historic black newspaper >> B.
>> And I was and I'm talking about I'm talking about I mean I had the vision and I said man look >> to all black millionaires. I said, "Look, if y'all would just get out my way and let me do what I've been trained to do, this is going to be one of the biggest blackowned media companies in the country." I told them, >> they sat there and said, "We just want to be a small community newspaper." I said, "I got to go."
>> Yeah.
>> I left. I I I I sold I sold that newspaper and the Black Dispatch when I was a kid about or I guess 18.
No, younger than that. Young than that.
I don't know how old I was.
>> I I've been gone 14 years and it's it still hits me what could have been.
>> You know what I'm talking about.
>> Oh, I'm telling you. Look, I've done a lot of other things. I got my own company now. But I'm sitting there like, if y'all would just gotten the hell out of the way >> Mhm. and to let a young brother do what he was destined to do what it could be for our people. So So no, >> they were jealous of you.
They were jealous of you. You had the vision and the energy and I'm saying saying I'm telling you I know it because I feel that's the way they treated me.
You know, you had the vision and the energy to do it, >> right?
>> You're creative, >> right?
>> Yeah.
What what do you last question for you?
What what would you just visually what would you like or hope for this place to look like in 20 years?
>> I'm going say this and I I don't mean to be negative. I just have to be I don't see including my kids.
I don't see any creative energy coming up.
>> That are willing to invest. It takes a lot of time and energy.
>> That's right.
>> A lot of time, >> right?
>> And I don't see see as long as my my son is driving his Mercedes, he could give a less.
You know what I mean?
And the other one other one got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got got him a one one of those big ass trucks so you can give her down. My daughter is probably cares the most that she got the least.
>> She's a teacher. She's a teacher.
>> How'd you know?
>> She told I interviewed her.
>> Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Rest of me don't care. She really does care and she stays on my ass to keep me caring.
But, uh, >> well, I I I've talked to a lot of cats.
Uh, I've talked to a lot of them and, um, it's some young folks.
>> Mhm.
>> They got the vision and they got the heart.
>> Oh, I hope you're right.
>> I think what has to happen is you're 80, I'm 52. Some of these cats are 20s and 30s.
>> And so, we got to be able to have these intergenerational conversations, sharing knowledge, sharing expertise, uh, to be able to help them. I think you're right.
>> I don't know if I have the energy anymore, though.
>> No, but you ain't what you did. That's what I'm saying. See, you're 80. I'm 52.
>> It's a 28 year gap.
>> And so, the reality is my job is to operate as an elder to the person who's 25. That's 25 year gap.
>> So, the responsibility is it's like, hey, you enjoy your life. Go have fun.
It's like, don, we got it. You boy, you got a vision, >> boy. I wish I had more negroes like you.
>> Well, the re the reason I launched the reason I launched this digital company cuz we're streaming this all over the world right now >> is to be able to reach somebody who's watching >> and they listen to you. They're listening to me and we're teaching every single day. We're broadcasting every day to create a bunch more me and a bunch more you.
>> Well, you sell advertising on it. Yeah, we do that as well.
>> Okay.
>> Absolutely.
>> And and but the fan base also gives to help us.
>> Uh they gave last year $672,000 for us to keep broadcasting.
>> Oh, you you you you have arrived.
>> Yeah. You have arrived, my man.
>> Well, we would like we would like to give give a million, but look, we going to take every single dollar. But the point is is to use it uh and to teach >> and to give information because information is power and then we do that.
>> Look, it's not on all I can do is give it.
>> They got to be able to take it. But you got to have somebody who gives it for you to take.
>> Boy, you understand it. You sure do understand it.
You do, man.
I I Man, you give me hope.
It's a lot more. It's a lot more me out here. Trust me, >> man. I I haven't met him. But I'm locked up in this country town here. And he said, "Ain't that country?" I can't even see it now.
>> Well, uh, we going we going to stay on this wall. We going to keep hitting him.
>> Uh, when your I asked your daughter, I said, "Well," I said, "Uh, is he is he coming? He coming tomorrow?" She said, "No, he's not coming." And she said, "Well, uh, he might come talk to you."
And then when she told me, she says, she called me this morning and said, "He coming just to talk to you."
>> Oh, you talking about kicking me in my ass.
I didn't want to even come to talk to you.
I got a roll. My back still hurt. She been kicking me in my ass hard.
>> Well, I'm glad you did.
>> I am, too. You I I watch you all the time. And had it not been you, I wouldn't have come. I know it cuz I didn't feel like it. I didn't.
>> Well, I appreciate that you did.
>> Yeah.
>> And I'm glad that you signed the book.
>> Yep.
>> I'm definitely going to read it.
>> And And let me touch my man's hand.
>> Yeah.
>> All right.
>> He he he lives here.
>> He's a videographer here in Tulsa. We we hired him.
>> Have we Have we met before?
>> What do you do?
>> He's a He's a video guy.
>> Oh, okay.
And he's on my team from DC.
>> Oh yeah. Big shots.
>> Yeah, he's on my team from DC.
>> Okay. Hey, team DC.
>> Well, I'mma ease him out of here, good friend. Let you go do what you got to do.
>> Everybody who's watching, the book is called Pillillage of Hope, a family history from the Trail of Tears, Slavery, Segregation, the 1921 race massacre and beyond memoir by Don Ross.
Don, brother, I appreciate it.
>> My pleasure. My pleasure.
>> I appreciate it.
>> Y'all can take him away. Your chariot awaits.
>> Well, I wonder who's going to be long when it you or him.
>> He ain't dragging here kicking and screaming.
>> He told me he said his he said his back still hurting cuz y'all were drag. Y'all dragged him here.
>> I appreciate it. You be well. ain't working.
>> I I want to talk.
>> I told him I told I want to talk to him.
>> Yeah, you did the right thing.
>> I appreciate >> you talking to the right one. He >> I can wear them out.
>> No, you can't wear me out.
>> I was the one on your case. You doing this?
>> You got to take credit.
>> That's what you would do.
>> Yeah.
I appreciate it, my brother.
>> We appreciate you.
>> You be well.
>> All right.
>> You take care.
>> Y >> y'all, >> I want something.
>> Uh, got it. Folks, y'all can of course get it. Bookstores, Amazon.com, former stage fan club. Uh, look, your dollars are important for us to do what we do.
So, your support matters. And if we contribute to our fan club, uh, please do so. Use a stripe cure code. You see it right here. That's for checks and money orders. I'm sorry. Stripe cure code is for cash app. It's also for credit card checks. If you want to see a check of money order, uh, m make it payable to roller Martin unfiltered, PO Box 571-96, Washington DC 200037-0196, PayPal or Martin unfiltered, Venmo rm unfiltered, zolen at roland s martin.com, rolling at roland unfiltered.com, download network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung smart TV. Um, if you want to get our Blackstar Network uh uh swag, go to shopblackssonetwork.com.
Shopblacksetwork.com to get our swag. Also support our blackowned businesses. Go to shopblacksnetwork.com.
Uh, and of course uh if you want to uh be sure to u if you want to uh support a fan base, download the app. Uh you can also follow me at Roland S Martin.
Folks, that's it. I'll see you tomorrow right here unfiltered on the Blackar Network. Holla.
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