This report incisively links the systemic loss of Black farmland to the erosion of political agency, proving that economic independence is the essential foundation of true self-governance. It serves as a vital warning that without land and resource control, political representation remains perpetually vulnerable to structural erasure.
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Mound Bayou: Oldest Black Town Under Pressure. Black Farmworkers & White South Africans TensionsAdded:
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[music] Folks, today is Friday, May 1st, 2026.
Coming up on Roller Martin unfiltered streaming live on the Blackar Network.
We are [music] here in the historic Mount Bayou, Mississippi. Uh one of our most important uh black settle towns.
We'll talk about the history of this place. Also, what is happening uh with black farmers. We've of course been talking a lot with John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmer Association, the loss [music] of black land, and how uh this uh administration is not doing enough uh to tend to the needs of black farmers. Also, we'll talk about the decision made by the Alabama Governor K. Ivy to call for a special session uh to redistrict. They likely are going to wipe out one or even blow both black congressional seats here in Mississippi. Governor Tate Reeves has said the exact same thing. [music] So, you may see the wiping out of Congressman Benny Thompson's congressional uh seat in [music] New Jersey. The governor there, Vicki Cheryl, announced that they will do redistricting. Uh that could add two seats. So, a lot for us to talk about.
It's time to bring the funk on rolling unfiltered [music] the blackar network.
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[music] Folks, we're here in Mount Bahu, Mississippi, uh an historic uh town that was settled by African-Americans in 1887.
Uh we're living in a moment, of course, uh where black folks under attack in this country. I've been saying since last year, what we're dealing with is an administration uh Republicans who are trying to defund black America and the battle with political power is happening before our very eyes. Uh today, Alabama Governor K. Ivy announced that she is going to call a special session to lead redistricting. You might remember was just a couple of years ago uh where black folks fought successfully for the creation of a second opportunity district. Uh you had the longtime seat uh held by Congressman Congresswoman Terry Soul. then the creation of the second seat. There were legal battles that took place but all the way to the Supreme Court that led to the seat that was won by Congressman Shamari Figures.
Well, as a result of the Supreme Court decision just two days ago, uh you're likely going to see Republicans in Alabama wipe that seat out. But don't be surprised, they may very well even go after the seat of Congresswoman Terry Soul. Why is that important? Because Alabama, that's the black belt, uh where voting rights, the battle of voting rights, uh took place. We're talking Selma, we're talking Montgomery, we're talking Birmingham. And so that is going on there. Then of course we here in Mississippi where Governor Tate Reeves, even before the Supreme Court decision came down, uh said that they wanted to uh redistrict here as well. They want to target the congressional seat of Congressman Benny Thompson, the only Democrat representing this state uh in Congress, the only African-American.
Also keep in mind, and we've been covering this, in the last several months, you had special elections that took place in Mississippi that broke the Republican supermajority. Well, don't be surprised if Republicans get rid of those seats. And so, what I've been explaining to our folks is to understand that this Supreme Court decision, this Louisiana vers, uh, has farreaching consequences. It is going to impact black political power on the congressional level, on the state level, and go all the way down. You're talking about uh county commissioner seats, city council seats, schoolboard seats. Uh and who will be under attack?
Black folks all across the south.
Republicans are seeking to potentially pick up 10 to 15 uh seats. The Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee put out a report uh a tweet saying that they could lose up to 24 seats. Now, keep in mind there's 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the most ever. Losing 24 is almost half of the Black Caucus. That is ex that is an extreme number of black power. Tennessee Republicans are talking about wiping out the seat there in Memphis. Congress Congressman Steve Cohen holds that seat. He's running in the primary against state representative Justin Pearson. Uh then of course you're looking at South Carolina. Republicans there are talking about redistricting there that could wipe out the congressional seat of longtime congressman Jim Clyurn, the only African-American representing South Carolina. And so when we look at what's happening here, uh, it is going to impact black folks all across the South.
The only way Democrats, frankly, can respond is to do the exact same thing.
And so, New Jersey Governor Mickey Cheryl announced today that she is looking to redistrict that could pick up two seats. New York Governor Kathy Hokll said that she will look at redistricting there as well. Some people are arguing that in California that Governor Gavin Newsome should go even further and potentially create a 52 to0ero map, giving Democrats all seats in that state. And so, uh, this is an absolute war that's going on. Why is this happening right now? Because obviously Republicans are scared to death that they're going to lose the House in November. And I I've been explaining to y'all why that's so important. because one, Donald Trump said in January if uh Democrats get control of the House, he says I'm going to get impeached. So, he's scared about being impeached for a third time. But here's the other issue that we have to keep in mind. The the the branch of government that actually certifies the presidential election is the House. So, if anything happens in 2028, it will be the House. So, Republicans want to be in control of the House to certify the election. If Republicans were in control of the House in 2020, they would not have certified the election for Vice President Joe Biden. So, we have to understand the long-term game that's going on here. And that is what you're dealing with. And so, that's why they're doing all they can to change what's going on. Remember, Democrats put forward a bill to call for a national ban on gerrymandering. Every Republican voted against that particular bill. So that's what we're looking at.
That's what we're seeing. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we're going to hear from Congressman Troy Carter of New Orleans. His even his seat may be in jeopardy as well because don't be surprised if Republicans in Louisiana try to wipe out both black seats and that that second seat which Congressman Cleo feels they just got a couple of years ago. And again, that was a result of a legal battle as well. So, a lot is going on. And again, we're going to keep explaining to our audience why this is so important. Uh because a lot of African-Americans just sort of see this as politics, not understanding this is also about power. It is about resources.
It's about the ability to control access to dollars. And so, if you wipe out black representation, Republicans are saying they're targeting Democratic representation. No, they're targeting black representation. And so we have to understand that we can't fall for this okie dog what's going on because remember they have four black Republicans in the house. All of them will be leaving in January uh because Representative John James is running for uh governor there. You have of course Wesley Hunt in Texas who lost the US Senate race in the primary. Then of course you have Byron Donalds out of Florida who is running for governor.
Then Burgess Owens in Utah chose not to run when Democrats picked up a seat there. And so the real issue for us is what happens when they wipe out black political power across the south. Who then is representing the interest of African-Americans, especially when 55% of black people live in the south? And that number is increasing every single year. What I've also said is that with if this wipeout happens, this will be the largest decrease in black political representation in Congress since the end of reconstruction.
Let me say that again. You the largest wipeout. Remember, you had a significant number of black folks who were elected uh to on state level and the federal level during the period of reconstruction. When you had the when you had the election of 1876, the great compromise of 1877, you begin to see the roll back and the attacks in this state of course was a constitutional convention in 1890 where they strip black folks of their right to vote. You have not had an African-American elected statewide in Mississippi since that convention in 1890. And so what we have to realize is that this attack on black political power goes directly with the attack on black history, on black education, on black health, on black contracts. All these things are tied together. We're going to be chatting with some farmers here a little bit later. We have seen a massive loss of black land in the last 100 [clears throat] years and it is being expedited in the last 10 to 20 years because of the failure of the federal government to provide loans uh to black farmers. Even though Donald Trump last time he was here, $25 billion they gave out uh to white farmers as a result of his tariff battle, money did not go to black farmers. And in fact, it was Steven Miller, who is Trump's right-hand person, who sued to stop the $5 billion that Congress set aside for black and Hispanic farmers. Now, the exact same same thing is happening. White House has a massive meeting with farmers. They do not invite John Boyd, the president of the National Black Farmers Association, because they say this isn't a DEI meeting, but they had white farmers who were there. And so what we need to understand that this attack is real.
This attack is ongoing. And really what their goal is is to lock in or lock out blacks from political power for the next 50 to 100 years. And so we have to be thinking a lot differently about what's going on and how we utilize our power.
Uh and we're going to talk here as well about turnout. Uh because if black folks had voted their numbers in Mississippi, Mike Espie could have beat Senator Cindy Hyde Smith. He lost by 65,000 votes. He came back and then lost the second time around. But again, what do what must happen in Mississippi? What must happen all across the country for African-Americans to turn out in significant numbers? So, lots we're going to talk about. Again, at the bottom of the hour, we'll chat with Congressman Troy Carter. I'm going to go to a break. We'll be right back and we'll chat about what's happening here in Mount Bayou, Mississippi, right here on Rolling Martin Unfiltered on the Blackar Network.
With medicine and science under attack, I want to keep you [music] and your family informed and healthy. I'm Dr. Ebony Hilton, and I knew at the age of eight that I [music] wanted to be a doctor. So, I studied hard and became the first African-American female anesthesiologist hired [music] at the Medical University of South Carolina since it opening in 1824.
And I always say I was made into a doctor, but I was born to be a mom. And as a new mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend, I understand how frightening a medical crisis can be. I care for individuals on some of the worst days of their lives. And it's [music] my mission to provide you with a safe space to gain clarity on issues affecting your mind, body, and soul. I recognize that there are health disparities, particularly as it pertains to race. And I want to help bridge the gap between you and your healthcare providers. Join me every Thursday for Second Opinion on the Black Star Network, where each week I'll invite experts from various medical fields to share the latest health news.
We'll discuss topics [music] such as the vaccine debate, mental and sexual health, medical bias, infertility, [music] menopause, andropause, nutrition, and aging. Together with my medical colleagues, we aim to provide [music] you with a second opinion. Don't miss it. Thursdays only on the Blackar Network.
Hi, I'm Swash, basketball hall of famer, and you're watching Blackar Network.
Folks, we're back here in Mount Bayou, Mississippi. a very historic town uh that uh when it comes to our history and our culture uh carries significant meaning. Uh we're going to talk right now a little bit more politics. Joining me now is the former mayor uh of Mount Bayou. Also also pastor here, Daryl Johnson. Daryl, how you doing?
>> I'm great. I'm great and happy to have you.
>> All right. Glad to be here. Uh and in fact, um uh so we ran each other when was it last year?
Yep. Yep. So, we were down there and uh and of course, first of all, um just so y'all know, uh uh Daryl and Herman going to roll up on me like they gangsters or something. Uh we we need we we need you to come down to Mount Bayou. Uh cuz um uh we you know, we saw what you were saying about Isaiah T. McGomery. Uh and so it's another side of the story. I was like, "All right, what's the other side of the story?" Uh and so I said, "All right, we'll make our way down there."
Uh so it's not a problem. So we were in Shreport last night. We had a um of course with the tragic uh shooting there uh with a brother who killed eight kids and shot two other women. And so they had uh a public forum there dealing with the issue of mental health. Dr. Kevin Washington organized that. Uh and so when I pulled the map up, I said, "Y'all were four hours away." So I was like, "All right, we going to be down there."
So let's go ahead and slide over. Uh and uh and um because also there was a story that was published uh talking about Trump sending his white Africaners down here to Mississippi to take farm jobs.
And I said, "Well, good. Let's go ahead and talk about all of that." Uh but but first off, let's talk politics. Uh and and the reality what we're facing and and I have been yelling and screaming this for a very long time. And I have been saying to black folks, especially those 18 to 45, uh that the attacks that we are confronting now are is the greatest threat to black advancement uh since the civil rights movement, >> right?
>> And not only are they not only are they attacking those advancements, they are really looking going back to the reconstruction amendment, 13th, 14th, 15th amendment. Uh, and so what we are confronting now, and I think a I I just think a lot of black folks do not fully understand the attack that is happening, and they are attacking every single facet of black America because a lot of these white folks are just flatout mad at black advancement, and they're scared that they're not going to be in the in the majority come 2043.
And I agree, people have been afraid of black achievement for a long time. And they do all types of things to keep us down because they are afraid. They don't understand the power of working together. And because of that, Mississippi has some of the most negative uh statistics because there has been division. The only reason that we're sitting in this room today is because of racism. And I and the reason I said that is because M Mississippi had so many schools that they built. They had to build some for whites. They had to build some for blacks. All of that >> one second. Are we getting his audio?
Cuz they're telling me they can't hear him. We are. All right. Go ahead.
>> All of that came be because of racism.
And then when they decided to correct it, we had too many schools. We had to merge people together. I grew up in the 60s. And in the 60s growing up, there was an urge and a move of African-Americans just let us be heard.
And because of that, people came out from everywhere. You would see voter lines, I mean, rapping everywhere. I mean, people would come out, they didn't care if you came out with your guns >> and and and came up against us. It's because there was something deep and down inside of them saying, "I want to be heard. I want to be represented in in the country." Now, >> well y well y'all got a photo over there. There's a photo over there that says uh near riot broke out as voters as voters registration blanks were passed among a crowd of 13,000 states negro vote will hit hit peak in 1914. Uh so a near riot over trying to to register to vote >> trying to vote and that was the heart of the people. I want to be heard. I want to participate in this the greatest country that was built on the backs of the slaves or ex-slaves or the people that was living on these plantations built on the back of that and United States became the greatest country in the nation in the world and then it was now you're talking about but we don't want them to participate. Yes, there is a fear that black people if we let them do something, they are going to hurt us and they're going to put us down and and that's something that that we need to get over.
>> Well, it's the is also the basis of my book, White Fear. Uh how the Browning of America, the subtitle, how the Browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. Uh and I mean, I I look at this state right here, and I've been saying this for the longest. Uh Mississippi is at the bottom, one of the poorest states in the union. Um, and I said, uh, there are a lot of poor black people, >> right?
>> And there's more poor white people, >> right?
>> And I keep saying broke is broke, >> right?
>> But the reality is there are white folks in this state who consistently are voting against their economic interests, their health interests, their education interests because they're voting for whiteness, >> right?
>> Uh, and and and and that and so they literally will continue to vote against themselves uh in order not to align with black people. And what's crazy if you look at the history of this country, if you go back to the period of reconstruction from the period of reconstruction to present day, every moment in American history where black people fought for civil and economic rights, it actually increased uh the well-being of poor white people because the bills that we fought for help them as well.
>> Exactly. Exactly. And and we find even in the story of Bound Bayou that all of the the Confederacy and and the and the Davises that uh ran the Confederacy, the people that was actually making them rich was the people that actually ended up coming to Mount Bayou. These were the folks, these were the people, this was a think tank. These were the people that were running their business. These were the uh people that make them most successful. They had the the the most premium cotton in the world down on the Davis plantation. And uh these are so these are black people.
They they are ingenuity. Why not get why they started being successful had the most successful plantation because they allowed them to be themselves. And one of the things I think people are afraid of is that if black people start voting and start participating like everybody else, they're afraid that they would get snuffed out. But it's going to make this one of the greatest again. This would really make America really great again.
>> Well, and the thing for me is it's also trying to get black folks to stop being afraid.
>> Uh I'll give a perfect example. So, when I was at TV1, um, in order for in order to, um, to be on the cable system, you actually had to go to each city where they had a cable franchise and convince the cable franchise to carry the network.
>> So, you could you would sign a ma you would sign a master agreement with Comcast, with Charter, but then you had to go to each city where they were. So, I remember coming to Mississippi and we organized an event and all of these towns that [snorts] were majority black, majority black city councils, black mayor, city council members. What happened was they didn't even understand that when the renewal period came up where the city renewed the cable agreement that they could sit here and say, "No, no, we're not going to renew this cable agreement unless y'all carry more black networks." Mhm.
>> What we found was that in so many of these towns, there were white lawyers who had the legal contract.
>> And here we were trying to explain to the black leaders who control who had the votes that no, you actually had the power to do this. And we were dealing with these white lawyers who telling them, well, no, you necessarily can't.
So, we were having to educate all of these black mayors and black council members that no, you can actually do this. Um, and in fact, um, when we were in, uh, I forgot the company that had one of the one of the contracts here was they actually were owned by the Washington Post, Donald Graham, uh, and the general manager here was like, "No, folks down here aren't requesting TV1."
We're like, "We they know they we know they asking for a black network." So the white general manager of the cable franchise was saying that all of these black folks in Mississippi did not want to see another black network and we were like we know you lying. So we had [snorts] to we had to apply a level of pressure. And I remember doing it's a brother who has a radio show that airs statewide and I did his show and I said I said black folks in Mississippi I said I want y'all to cancel y'all cable. I said get we want Direct TV. I said get Direct TV. Y'all want to see TV one.
That's the only reason they said yes.
But what was crazy to me were the number of places that had black control, but they still were being controlled by whites.
>> The narrative, whatever narrative is there, a lot of us have to be very careful. We're seeing not only blacks, but we seeing whites. A lot of people are even right now being controlled by someone that has the mic. Whoever whoever has the largest mic actually controls the narrative. And so it's important that we start thinking for ourselves and start thinking up five years, 10 years from now. Where do what are we going to leave for our children?
What are we going to leave for our children 10 years from now, 15 years from now? And that same person that comes to me and say, "Well, I don't think I need to be voting." I think one of the key issues right now is for us to start figuring out how to get my friend to vote, how to get somebody else out to start voting because voting gives you a voice. Your finger can actually talk when you go down there and press that that lever and start voting. But but I think I I think the process though has to be uh and I think for the longest um you talk about narrative and how you frame it. The framing has been you got to vote but the problem was some of the people then asking what am I voting for? So what we have to do at is actually connect the dots. We have to walk people through in just a very basic way meaning you want this. So, we were sitting traveling here and we were in Louisiana coming here and I was live yesterday and man uh but we the buses all over the road because of the because of the highways and Gary Chambers Jr. cracked a joke about it. He's like he said we need to put pressure on this governor. He said cuz Rolley you having to drive on these raggedy roads. People don't people don't understand that if it is a highway that's money that's coming from the federal government >> coming to the state. That's politics. If you are upset about potholes or you want pose roads paved, you want new schools built, that's all government.
>> And and I think a lot of people just really don't can't don't even connect the dots to it to understand that people people clamor for things not realizing, well, no, that's that's going to be a school district or that's going to be the city government or that's going to be the county government. No, that's going to be the state and that's going to be uh the federal. And so that to me is also something that that we have to do. spend massive amounts of time engaged in voter education and that is informing, enlightening and educating them to now understand why you must register and then why you must then vote. And I think uh Roland, I think we need to know in leadership uh that that needs to be some answers, some some real hardline things that we need to do and and some some of our leaders need to make sure that our people know and we all need to be on the same page because coming up in the next uh year, the next two years is going to be very crucial for us on down the road.
And the key is going to be voting. And I'm telling you right now, I mean, I every black person in Mississippi needs to understand that because of this Supreme Court decision on Wednesday, they are about to come after black elected leadership. I'm I'm I need people to understand, oh, you're sounding alarmist. Yes, I am. Because I'm telling you, these people are pissed with the number of black people that are in power. Can I say as a minister of the gospel?
>> You can't say pissed, but I can say that.
>> Well, >> go ahead. [laughter] Can I say being naive and it's changed me that our wonderful governor of the state of Mississippi, can I say that I probably never would think that he would absolutely take the driving wheel of this racist move that many of the governors are going to try to take.
How dare our Christian man that prays and moves and so forth and so on, how dare he do what he doing?
>> Well, keep it well, keep in mind uh it was a video that played the other day and they talked about uh the Catholic Church that supported shadow slavery, the Anglican church supported shadow shadow slavery, the Episcopalian, the Mormons, the Methodists, they went down like every single one of these nominations did. Uh and the greatest folk who supported child slavery were those Southern Baptists. So uh it's no shock in my mind that the so-called Christian governor uh plus this is also the same governor when he was was he was previously the treasurer uh openly he was he openly uh admitted how he kept money from Jackson, Mississippi, which is crazy because Jackson, Mississippi supplies the most money to the state, right? But you kept money from them. So that's what you're dealing with. Hold tight one second. I want to bring in right now Congressman Troy Carter uh from New Orleans. He joins us right now. Congressman, glad to have you on the show. Um this Louisiana vers uh Clay decision uh I have been yelling, screaming to folks. Uh it is going uh to uh cause significant problems all across uh this country, especially the South.
But let's start right now in Louisiana where your MAGA governor Jeff Landry literally is postponing the election which is utterly insane because people are actually voting. Uh and so um and I'm sure uh there's going to be legal challenges here. Just share your thoughts about this unbelievable thing.
We didn't cancel elections during the Civil War, during World War I, World War II, during COVID, and he is literally postponing an election because of this shameful, despicable Supreme Court decision.
>> Roland, first of all, thank you for always illuminating these issues and bringing these critical issues to light.
Listen, you're absolutely right. When you look at what happened and the blow that was dealt to the to the de democracy um by the Supreme Court justices who chose to throw out one of the most monumental pieces of legislation, the 1965 voting rights act by literally gutting section two of the voting rights act. What he essenti what they essentially did with this gut is you say on one hand it is okay to gerrymander to pick your party. You can gerrymander along partisan lines. So you gave an advantage through partisan gerrymandering, but on the other side, you denied the the opportunity to defend against discrimination by creating a narrow window where individuals must prove intent to discriminate. that is reminiscent of the uh pole tax or reminiscent of the Jim Crow laws that said here's a jar of jelly beans. Look at it and tell me how many jelly beans are in this jar. It was impossible then and this new test from the Supreme Court is impossible now.
What it's basically saying is black folk, Hispanic folk, we don't care about you. Your vote doesn't matter. We're going to do whatever we want. And unfortunately the Supreme Court has sanctioned that. Um, the Louisiana V.
Cala. While its name suggests that it is about Louisiana and it is in fact about Louisiana, but it is far deeper, far wider, the implications are much greater because this impacts local school boards, legislative seats, city council, and police generals across our country will likewise be subject to this ridiculous ruling and dynamiting.
if you will, of our voting rights act.
Section two being gutted is like tearing all of the work, all of the blood, sweat, and tears of our freedom writers of John Lewis marching on Edund Pettis Bridge and tearing it up with a stroke of a pen. Now these elections which is unconscionable that our governor would unilaterally decide that this is a state of emergency that you cancel elections and as you said this hasn't happened. There's no storm. There's no B there's no tidal wave. There's no tornadoes. This is a matter of the Supreme Court determining that this map was unconstitutional. I'll remind you, Roland, that four years ago, Garrett Graves had a map that the Supreme Court determined to be unconstitutional. They struck it down, but they said, "It's too close to the election. Therefore, we're going to hold this back, let the election go as is, and in two years, we'll remedy it."
Well, two years came by. They created the remedy, which created the seat that now my my colleague and friend, Congressman Cleo Fields, holds. in the sixth congressional district.
At that time, the election was much further away than it is here. Now, our election has already begun. People that are serving our military abroad and at home have already turned in their ballots. Our senior citizens are people that are have challenged mobility have turned in their se their their ballots.
And tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., people will show up for the first day of early voting. This is this is the quintessential definition of irreplaceable irreparable harm because you are putting people an 80 or 90 year old lady or man every time they vote it may very well be the last time our soldiers who are who are dedicating their lives for us may not get another time. You're telling them your vote doesn't matter. You're casting your vote doesn't matter. You're telling African-Americans and and and Hispanics that this uh partisan gerrymander is okay to cut you out and to block your city up and to divide your community. So, you'll never have enough votes to have an elected official that looks like me or you to be elected. I'll remind you that it is so important in the deep south. In Louisiana, we have never had an elected official to be elected statewide from the state of Louisiana since reconstruction. John Willis Manard 150 years ago in the very seat that I hold was the first black man to ever be elected to Congress, but he was never seated. He was never seated because there was a a congressman that went to the well of the floor and said, "This Congress is not ready for a negro to serve in Congress." And summarily, they didn't seat him. Fast forward to 2026. Calvin Duncan was duly elected by the people of New Orleans to be clerk of criminal district court. But this governor and the legislature decided, "Oh no, we don't want him to be." So even though the people had spoken clearly, they pulled the rug from under Mr. Duncan and erased his seat with legislation.
This is America, right? Or so we say. So my my comment to all of our brothers and sisters out there is this is real time.
This is not fiction. This is not a dress rehearsal. This is real. And we have to be smart. We have to be galvanized. We have to be strong. We have to be together and we have to vote like we've never voted before so we can then take back the Congress, take back governor's mansions, take back the presidency and start to reverse these ill actions because they're banking on us fighting each other. They're banking on us not voting. They're banking on us staying home. They're banking on us having a circular firing squad while they rot run up the middle with a president who doesn't care about our constitution, our rule of law, or the rights of individuals anywhere. Although this impacts Louisiana is the epicenter, it is going to have reverberating hits throughout our country with congressional seats, school boards, state legislative seats, council seats all over the country.
>> State legislative seat.
>> But Congressman, this also >> all over the country. But this also is why we also try to walk people through on what the implications of not voting are. I mean, let's just be honest. Uh, a significant number of black people did not vote in the gubatorial election.
That's how Jeff Landry was able to win.
>> There were a lot of people uh who just said, "I don't like Hillary Clinton."
>> That's a fact.
>> A lot of people said, "Well, you know, Trump is not that not not going to be that bad." And guess what? He then appoints three of these Supreme Court justices. The reality is this here. Hey, Hillary Clinton won in 2016. you would have a progressive majority on the Supreme Court and not a right-wing majority. And so this this is also the result of people staying home. Uh now uh now with this emergency, now folks are have now you know you know the world is on fire and now folks hopefully are going to wake up. And so what are you and others in Louisiana doing uh to combat this to mobilize and organize people going to the state capital applying maximum pressure to the legislature uh not to uh eradicate these maps because I'll be honest congressman uh we keep talking about how they're going to wipe out Congressman Cleo Field's uh uh seat. I believe I fundamentally believe that the Republicans in Louisiana want to wipe out your seat. I believe in Alabama.
They want to wipe out not just Shamari Figer's seat, but also Terry Soul's seat. I'm here in Mount Bayou, Mississippi. They absolutely want to wipe out Benny Thompson's seat.
Listen, they want to wipe out all of our seats. And when I mentioned Cleo Fields, I mentioned that it was his seat that was the target, but a target of the lawsuit. But the real target is everyone that's black and brown. The real target is everyone who's a Democrat. The real target is to to obliterate. Listen, Donald Trump was very clear. He called the governor of Texas said, "I need five votes." He started this avalanche of having these midterm uh reaportionments. Reortionment is done every 10 years to take into account the es and flows of our demographic changes.
This government, this president decided he would do it sooner. That's what started the avalanche. I I understand totally that they are not just after one seat. They want two, three, four, five, as many seats as they can. They want to go to Mississippi. They want to go to Alabama. They want to go to Georgia.
They want to go everywhere they can, particularly in the deep south where I try to explain to people, the deep south is very different. The deep south is very different. If you look here, and I'll emphasize again, no African-American's ever been successful in a statewide run. Why is that? Why is that? Uh, so we're not like some of our northern partners where we have the ability where white Democrats wholeheartedly vote for African-American Democrats. That's not that's not reciprocated here in the South. It's unfortunate. It should be different and hopefully at some point it will be. But right now the reality is there is a frontal allout assault against everyone that serves in the Congressional Black Caucus and in the Hispanic caucus >> caucus.
>> Well, uh I'm going tell you right now, um grassroots activists and others uh churches, you name it, uh should be on Defcon 5 should be a high alert. Uh because this is a moment and and I've been yelling and screaming this. This is a moment where they want to deal a death blow to black progress. Uh many of these uh white conservative Republicans, especially in the south, uh they have despised the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 65 Voting Rights Act, the 68 Fair Housing Act. They've despised all the laws and other things that have happened uh ever since then. And they want to eradicate as much of this progress as possible. Uh and so folk better recognize that uh we are on the verge of literally having the next generation having fewer rights than the ones that we have right now. Final comment, Congressman Carter.
>> Well, I want again as I started Roland, thank you for speaking truth to power, using your enormous power and and following to to call balls and strikes and to talk about where we need to be and to call out the inefficiencies and the racism that we see in our community.
Listen, we have a role to play.
And we all have a role in that play. Uh in Louisiana, we are talking to um our great leaders, our civil right leaders, Mark Moriel and brother Sharpton and and Derek Johnson and Siobhan and all of the others across the the spectrum and you of course um Gary Chambers and I met a couple of weeks ago with the DNC chair to talk about that we have to start investing more money, not just lip service in the South. We had a very good meeting. Um, and we've got to continue to galvanize. We've got to give our Democrats in the state legislature the the the backing so they will have the courage to stand up and fight and know that we've got their back. Um, so in the coming days, we'll be organizing and I'll be reaching out to you as well as others to ask you to be a part of this push to get us organized. But not just for this battle. We can't get angry for a moment and then settle. We have to stay angry. We have to stay or organized. We have to stay hungry. And we have to be able to fight for our rights. People died so we would have this moment. People died so I can serve in Congress. People died so you can own the airwaves.
We can lose all this. We see how FCC goes after Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Kimmel. You think they'll think nothing, not a heartbeat of a second to go after our black media. We have to be ready, smart, defensive, and offensive at the same time to defend their rights, galvanize our people, empower them to be a part of the process and not look at them on the sideline as if they have nothing to say.
Our people have a lot to say, and we've got to engage them. We have to deputize them to be a part of this battle because it requires all hands on deck. God bless you, Roland. Thank you for doing what you're doing, brother. Love to come back on soon and talk some more and give you some updates on what's going on here in Louisiana as well as what's going on at the nation's capital.
>> All right, sounds great. Congressman Troy Carter, certainly appreciate it.
Thanks a lot.
>> All right, folks. We're going to go to break. We come back, we'll be come back uh chatting here uh getting a historic p perspective of Mount Bayou, Mississippi and how the creation of this town during that era really speaks volumes to what we should be thinking about and doing today in 2026. You're watching Roller Martin unfiltered right here on the Blackar Network. Back in a moment.
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>> [music] >> Heat. Hey, Heat.
>> [music] >> Museum. All right, folks. Y'all y'all y'all can kill the music. Y'all can kill the music. I'm talking. Thank you very much. Y'all could y'all y'all got to be paying attention in control room. All right. So, uh so we're not actually in the museum. So, uh so what what happened to the museum? Uh we're here in the school. This is the makeshift museum. So explain what happened.
>> Right. So um the building that we started off in is the out building which was the band room, choir room, music building for this school. Um since this school closed in 2018, uh that afforded us the reason to to be in that room over there, in that building over there. But in January, we had an ice storm and water was coming everywhere. And so we had water in the in in the museum. We had to get those artifacts out. And uh thankfully the people here at the school since it's closed and it's merged with the uh uh school north of us uh this afforded us to have this room to put a temporary exhibit in here until we can get our building fixed over there.
>> All right then. So, uh, so for folks who don't know about Mound Bayou, g give us a perspective on the history of, uh, of this town.
>> Well, I'm going to first say this. Um, everybody should know, uh, and I think because, um, uh, uh, in America, there was a concerted effort to keep the history of African-Americans down. We don't know. And so what we did was um realizing that there was an amazing history of this city here, one of the most amazing histories you ever heard of of any African-American place in this country and the continuation of it from from the uh core of the people who started it that came from the plantation all the way up until now. this amazing story of this city. Uh, somebody's got to tell it because of the whole diaspora of of African-Americans, 40 or 50 million or whatever it is of us in this country. Um, this story actually tells who we actually are, who black people actually are. And so I came back, my brother had been had never left. And once as time went on, we started realizing that that this that there was a a depth to this story that we had not realized before. And so we decided to open a museum. Uh there are other things that we decided to do in Mount Bayou because we believe that this city should go back to the to the glory that it used to be uh back in the days. And uh and so we opened up this museum and uh and it's been very successful uh since then.
>> So first of all uh how many people uh reside in Mount Bay?
>> Right now about 1500 >> and uh at its height how many folks were in uh the city?
>> I think there were times where we had hovered around 11 uh I mean uh 8,000 maybe even 11,000 at one point. We were talking earlier and you were talking you were talking about uh the massive amount of land that that had been acquired.
Walk through that >> the land that has been acquired >> the land that had been acquired. So in terms of ter terms of the for the formation of mound body uh and for folks who don't I was talking about this the other day cuz Michael Harriet had put together this uh thread on Twitter uh that sort of explain um you know how collective economics uh had operated that that then began the process of acquiring the land things along those lines and also the land itself what it used to be. Well, when they started the city, um, Auntie Montgomery comes up here and he buys. Now, first of all, I got to say that AI Montgomery is his his intention was Mount Bay was to be a seed, a seed for a country. Uh, and he was strategically looking for a way to do that. But when he came here, uh, he bought, uh, 840 acres and because he was bringing up people from the previous plantation that he had been on, um, and they were most mostly going to be agriculture, um, the railroad that sold it McGomery the land, um, authorized him to sell 37,000 acres surrounding MA for the farmers to come up here and be an agricultural society.
So they did that and so at one time Mount Bayou had uh 3740,000 uh acres that's owned by a African-Americans here.
So that's a obviously large amount of land. Uh and uh and so then town gets formed. Um but people also have to understand again how folk work together to begin to do that. Uh and so and that's you know I'm always reciting Dr. King's last sermon, April 3rd, 1968, where he said that black people have to operate as a collective. He said individually we are poor, collectively we represent one of the largest economies in the world. Uh and so uh the acquisition of that land, the building of this city, none of that happens if folk are not moving and working and operating together.
>> Absolutely. And that's absolutely what happened uh to start this place. Even those that initially came when they first got here, uh this was nothing but wilderness. It was a swamp. You had all kind of animals and things here. And um some people got here uh as they were invited to come up or they were coming up with it Montgomery. They got here and they saw all this work of clearing this land. And some of them like, you know, I'm going back to my conference uh back to Vixsburg or wherever they were from.
And Auntie McGomery told them, he said, "If your master had told you to clear this land, would you not have done it?"
And and absolutely the answer had to be yes. And so with that with that spirit to build something for their children and their children's children, uh Mount Bay was formed and cleared and um and became very very successful uh in this in this state. And and this was also done because black folks created their own bank.
>> They create their own bank here. And uh matter of fact, some of the wealthiest people in the in the state of Mississippi were here in Mount Bayou. If you can imagine um that they came here and with the ingenuity that they came here with, they created the highest grade of cotton in the world here in Mount Bayou. And because of that, instead of this city the size of it having only having one cotton gene, they end up having to have six because of all the people that were coming from out of the area bringing their cotton here to get that get that MU label and and get that higher price. Now, think of this also in the city of Muay, you had stores that were servicing the people here in the city, right? But you also had a unique place, an oasis, so to speak, in the desert. Mount Bayou being an all African-American pe place where black people could come and walk in through the front door. Well, people who didn't lived in this city would come here to Mount Bayou because of the fact that they could walk in through the front door in this city. Um, and so anyway, what they did was because because of that, it it it um you had a huge population of people that were coming here uh to Mount Bayou to shop and that type of thing. Well, the store owners in this city here became some of the wealthiest people uh in the state of Mississippi. Uh so you you had a lot of uh you had a lot of things going on, a lot of power here in Mount Bayou. Uh I was um reading um something Harriet wrote. He was talking about of course uh what took place here. He this is what he said. 1941 a blackowned architecture firm Mckis and McKisik broke ground on the Taboreian hospital in M Bayou. Any member of the of the black organization who paid $8.40 a year due in dues could get free health care including surgery.
Uh and uh he said to lead the hospital, Ben personally chose one of the most important unknown figures in black history, TRM Howard, who trained Mega Evers and Fan Lou Hamer. He was Jesse Jackson's mentor. The McGomery bus boycott was modeled after Howard's don't buy gas where you can't use uh the restroom campaign.
>> Yes, absolutely. And that hospital is a a shining jewel of Mount Bayou. uh because of because of it, you know, just and also think of it this way. You know, you got that hospital here and um there's no other black hospital in this area in North Mississippi. You know, the only other one was in Yazu City. Now, everybody that's that's black who can get to this area are coming to this hospital. Instead of going to hospitals, they're going to be treated bad, you know, in their own locations. So, like Michael Harriet said, they did um they did put together something that that afforded everybody the opportunity to go to this hospital and be treated. And so, like he said, $8.40 a year that afforded you so many surgeries and I think it was like something like $16 a year uh for a whole family. And 37,000 people signed up for that and became the first HMO in the country. And they did HMOs in that time the way they were supposed to do it to benefit the people.
>> Uh my father tells a story all the time when he had to go because they would check you up. They would check on you and make you come to the hospital and do a checkup three times a year. And one time he came and they wanted to put him in the hospital and they made him stay there for three three days. when he left on his exit, they gave him $100 because they were actually looking out for the patients.
>> All right. So, so when we met, um, y'all y'all said we we got to give you a different understanding of you. It T McGomery, Isaiah T. McGomery, uh, you have the the the 1890 Mississippi Constitutional Convention. He's the only black delegate um, Republican. uh he votes along with the Southern Democrats to strip black folks of their right to vote. Uh Frederick Douglas uh did not take kindly to that position was very critical. Uh and so uh All right. So y'all explained to me why I should not keep ripping Isaiah Montgomery for that decision.
>> Well, let me let me >> They rolled up. They were like, "Now you've been saying some hard stuff." I'm like, "Yes, I have. Yes, I have." So, so, so, so, so walk me through and explain.
>> Let let me help you out. First of all, let me just say because you sitting in Mount Bay. That's that's number one. So, his strategy was to have a place where God and >> Why you holding the microphone? Both of them work.
>> Oh, can [clears throat] y'all hear him?
>> That one's not loud.
>> Y'all hear him?
>> This one is better.
>> So, so, so, so anyway.
>> All right. We do. Okay. Give me that one. Hold up. Give it here. Give me that one. I unplug it.
>> Okay.
>> Because that way we got feedback there.
Go ahead.
>> Okay. So, so, so the bottom line is is that Mount Bay still exist. And um actually Montgomery strategized. He was a guy that came up in a plantation listening to the voices and the strategies of people strategizing for the Confederacy. He knew how they were.
He knew how they fought. But when he was able to talk to him, he had to talk to him with strategy. When he was picked to go to the 1890 convention, he knew what he could say, but he was looking for the power that would give him something 10 years later, 20 years later, 50 years later, like a town called Mount Bayou. And because of it, he even told them in the speech that you make reference to, he told them, "I know y'all going to do what y'all want to do." And and basically what he was saying, "I'm going to tell you what you want to hear. This is what you want to hear." But think about this. He's one black man that's picked to go with all of these white folks. What you think he going to say?
>> He has to say what he has to say.
>> But did he have to go?
>> Exactly. But he went on and >> No, no, but but did he have to go?
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. The reason that he went is to represent and >> but he represented by voting with him.
>> But because he represented, he took with him a power that he did not have and that was the folks who had the power and he knew how to manipulate the folks who had the power.
>> So, how did he do that?
>> And let me just say, >> no, get for folks who don't know, how did he do that? Go ahead. Go ahead.
>> When there were threats that came against this town, when there were threats, he would tell them, and there's writings that say, he said, "I'm not worried about the people to my south or the people to my north or the people to my east or the west. They're going to take care of us. We're not worried about that." When the people came into Mount Bay to take over Mount B, like the clan, they called them and told them say, "Look, they coming." And so, they did come. They I don't know if it was a clan or what type of white group that came, but there was all the lights went out in Mount Bay. And that night when those folks came into Mount Bay, they already knew it was because their friends told them they let a gatling gun go on the top of the bank and let that thing start those guys uh left. Well, they wouldn't have known that if they were the rebels.
if they were the ones that was fighting those folks. But there's a way to listen to them, let them talk, and utilize their power. And that's what he did. And that's how Mai was able to survive in a very racist, dark South.
>> You were going to say something.
>> Well, I I the only thing I was going to add right now is that uh it Montgomery, I think, was uh really looking to start a country. Um I uh you know when he was down there on that plantation and he was around Jefferson Davis, he had to see Jefferson Davis uh plotting the Confederacy. There had to be many many meetings and uh gatherings down there and his father is running all those plantation Benjamin Montgomery uh and he end up buying that plantation. But any case um I think Auntie Montgomery's ultimate dis ultimate goal was his father's goal was to start a country. Matter of fact when auntie Montgomery died in 1924 I believe it was uh he had been working with the US president to start to actually buy the Congo from the Belgians because his ultimate goal was to start a country. And so it was a strategy. All of these are strategy moves. Um and you know we can always look back on him with hindsight and criticize or say this that and the other but um to say that he was uh any any other person but a forward-looking person looking to for the best for his people. I'm I'm going to say one thing that Martin Luther King said and I think it was kind of mimics what uh it McGomery was looking at. One of the things Martin Luther King said was when he was uh on and o you know had taken some time into uh his leadership in the civil rights movement he said he feared that he had taken his people or leading his people into a burning house and I don't think Montgomery I he think was I think he was thinking the same thing and he didn't want to just settle for secondass citizenship.
The reconstruction, the 1890 convention was a convention to assert first class cit citizenship for white people and Auntie McGomery was not settling for that. So he had another strategy to start another country because he knew these people. But he what but again but he was critiqued at the time by uh you know one of the most important figures because because Frederick Douglas uh called the vote an act of quote treason to the cause of the colored people not only of his own state but of the United States uh uh and uh and said that uh what he heard was a groan of bitter anguish born of oppression and despair.
So so and some call him an accommodationist.
>> Well if your idea is to assimilate then I can see that. But if your idea is to separate which I think it Montgomery was was idea was then I can see what he did was the strategic move on that end.
>> So the question so we look at the history we look at uh all that took place the question now becomes um in terms of where we are as African-Americans cuz right now you've got you got a lot of people who are saying who who love talking about Black Wall Street >> um and then some folk want to recreate that. Um, and you have all these different efforts. Uh, and the reality is what what what I how I see this. If we're if we're going to be talking about um um recreating or trying to do trying to pattern on what took place here in 1887, you have to do that with acquiring land.
And when I listen to African-Americans today complain about gentrification, I keep saying, "Okay, complaining about gentrification means nothing if you don't acquire the land." Because listen, we we also know the land is available.
And when I when I see folks say, "Well, you know, white folks are coming into our communities buying up the land." I'm going, "Okay, but I remember I was in Chicago and a brother was complaining about that and I had to ask him. I said, let me ask you a question. Do you rent where you live or do you own?" He said, "I rent." I said, "That means you have no power." He goes, "What do you mean?"
I said, "The person who owns has power."
I said, "He can jack up your rent. You can't afford it. You got to move out."
>> I said, "This is this I" I said, "This is about owning." So what really has to the conversation that really has to be is not are we trying to open another business, leasing it from somebody else, but really uh having a path of owning property that allows us to be able to build and grow. That's what it that's really what this requires, >> right? And you barking up my tree.
>> [laughter] >> I mean, I just I mean it is and and and so we we're going to talk about it, you know, in the second half with with some of the farmers. And right now, uh you know, we are looking at uh and I forgot uh John last that was on, he talked about the number of black farmers right now, uh whose farms are facing foreclosure and the amount of land we're talking about. Uh and I asked him, I said, you know, uh in terms of being able to preserve that land, he said, you're probably talking anywhere from $30 to $50 million. Uh and and and that's just that's that's that's really really where we are. And so uh we have to be to me we cannot have discussions about or look fondly on and talk about well this would happen in Mount Bayou, this would happen in uh in Tulsa in Greenwood without understanding that was because we own the land.
Right now we're having conversations when we're renting.
>> That is not the same conversation. Mhm.
Mhm. I agree 100%. And uh and and I I think here in Mount Bay there there are plans that that we have uh my brother and I and then some others have plans to to kind of redevelop this area to bring tourism here to to bring economic progress here to this area. And there are some ideas that we have that we think that uh um well we we really are sitting here in the heart of the Mississippi Delta as we are um there's more history here I think concentrated than than that we give credit for and I think there's a lot of things that we can do here that we can't do anywhere else in the country and uh so we have our eyes on uh uh prosperity and progress here in Mount Value.
>> All right. Well, keep us a breast of those plans. I'm going to go to a break.
We come back, we're going to chat with uh some farmers here uh and talk about uh what's going on there. Uh we are facing a significant crisis uh with losing more uh black farmland in this country. And so we'll do that next uh right here on Roller Martin unfiltered.
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All right, folks. Uh, welcome back to M Mount Bayou, Mississippi. Uh, we are glad to have here. We've uh we've had many conversations on this show um about uh the plight of black farmers in this country. Uh and a lot of folk got to realize uh that there are black farmers in this country. There are and and what we're seeing when look at the resources in this country. Uh where do they go to?
They're largely going to white farmers in Iowa and Illinois and Wisconsin and Nebraska and those places. Uh and a lot of resources bypassing African-Americans. Joining us right now are three gentlemen uh who are are in the business. First of all, I'm going to go to my to my far end. Give me your name. Uh how long you've been uh farming?
>> Name is Lewis Sanders. I've been farming since I was 6 years old.
>> And how old are you?
>> 71.
>> Gotcha. All right, then. So 71 minus 6.
That's a few years. All right.
>> Uh my name is John Coleman. I've been farming about 50 years and I'm 57.
>> Okay.
I'm Mitchell Williams. I started about three or four and now I am 89.
>> All right, then. And you still farming?
No, I passed it on a few years ago now, but I stayed in it as long as I was able to farm and grow up another generation of young young grands and great grands and hopefully that they will continue to farm. But with the problem that young blacks are facing in financing agency, it makes it very difficult for them to get financing to do the kind of operation that they need to do because I can remember the time when I was a boy when a a person would come to my want to leave from where they are say we want us to take down farm and they said no. said, "What you got?"
He said, "Nothing."
The guy sitting around the surf station said, "Well, I got a I got I'll give you 10 pounds of cotton seeds."
Another one that look said, "Well, I'll give you 10 pounds of corn." And another one over there would say, "Well, I got a full muse over there. You can use one of them to uh to bring up your land."
Another say, "I'll loan you a plow."
That was the attitude of the farmers back in the days. my little grandchildren called it. And they would and they would give that person a start.
And then then uh as we would moved on, my brother and I was trying to buy a plot of land or joining us. Both of us were working in the school system. We couldn't get financing. They told us no, you don't have time to farm and teach school.
and uh it was joining us. Our daddy was living and uh as a result we couldn't get it because of the financing agents.
A uh that's the problem that's was uh fronted black farmers then and now. And now it's very hard for young black farmers today to get started in farming because of the financial uh financing situation that they're confronted with. And that's what the black farmers are trying to do now because farming has mechanized a whole lot when I got started.
I remember when I used to walk around that old mule, >> right?
>> Putting the planter, pulling everything, everything, every piece of equipment that you farm with. Then you had to walk behind a mule and walk in the dust and and and and farm. But now one piece of equipment cost more than a average black farmer a young black farmer start can't start with zero now because of the system of financing.
It's not that they don't have the ability and the technology uh because technology is available for them because we have a uh extension for out in [clears throat] all corn will help them with technical assistant but there's no agency that will finance them because they'll tell you some strange thing. I remember when my dad was far from trying to get trying to get money. They want to know how many hens he had and how many were laid.
Then how many eggs did did he eat or how many eggs did it hatch? Now this was the kind of thing that they were confronted with in order to try to get a financing agency to operate a farm. And see what a lot of people don't realize, they don't people don't really understand this country that uh the USDA is the second largest budget in the federal government behind the Pentagon. Uh and uh what they also don't realize is that uh the largest federal government bank is in the USDA. They fund a significant number of projects that traditional banks actually don't fund. That's one of the reasons why under President Biden, uh, Marshia Fudge, former congressman of Ohio, she did not want to be the secretary of HUD. She actually wanted to be secretary of agriculture. Uh, but Biden chose uh the secretary of agriculture used to be the governor of uh Iowa who also served in the same job of Vilsac under under Obama. Uh and so and in fact, David Scott, Congressman David Scott, uh who just passed away, was the first African-American to head the House Agricultural Committee. uh he told me a story uh that uh he told me a story when Ron Delums or one of the other members were on uh it was a uh it was it was a a white congressman uh who from the south who said uh I can guarantee you uh that a negro will never ever lead this committee. So when we talk about farming in this country and agriculture, it has been controlled, dominated, and operated by white folks in this country. Uh and so even when you're talking about the federal government, even we're talking about uh those committees. And so a lot of people really don't understand uh the billions of dollars uh that flow through agriculture in this country and how black folks have been completely left out of that process. I could I can remember when I was growing up, my dad he was able to get a loan from what they call Farmer's Home Administration and my dad was always getting his loan in the month of July. We always needed that money during March when the springtime we started planning. Every year my daddy was going into debt and in 19 hold I don't want you to speed past that uh because for people who don't understand that. Okay. who don't understand seasons. So you said they were providing the money in July.
>> July and in the summertime.
>> In the summertime, but you had to hit a certain date in the spring to put to plant which meaning he had to front that money and upfront and he's not getting the money till three four months later.
Okay. Go ahead. and he was owning uh a lot of the uh seed companies, parts stores for equipment that he had that he had had bought. But my dad in 2000, he owed a lot of money to the federal government. He was about ready to lose his land.
>> When you say a lot, what does that mean?
>> About $70,000. He had about 40 acres.
and uh Alorn State University Extension Program came up and helped him out to reduce his loan to about $2,000 and he was able to pay this loan back off to the federal government.
And when my dad was he was kind of he was old and I was asking him, "Dad, can I lease your land?" and I was able to lease his land and I was able to farm uh with my dad and I was able to uh get a loan and I was able to uh put my seeds in the ground and now I am productive as a farmer now because I'm able to get money and time to put my seeds in the ground.
And that is a problem right now for a lot of our young farmers. Uh they want to get into the business, but they don't have the operating capital >> to get in in in the fields.
>> Well, it's the same thing for you for frankly blackowned businesses that that that that's not in farming. So, for instance, um if you have a business, let's just say you get a contract from city, from the state, from the government or someone else. Well, the problem is many of those people are pay paying on minimum 90day term, some as much as 180day. So, in essence, you're have you got to float your business from 90 to 180 days and you're paying your expenses upfront. Uh and that's one of the reasons why when Mayor Jackson was mayor of Atlanta, uh he set it up where he said that if we're putting our city money into banks, those banks should be providing lines of credit uh to those blackowned businesses. He said, "Look, you know, we we giving them the contract to provide lines of credit." And then banks uh b uh balked and he said, "Fine, we'll pull our money at your banks." Uh and so this really is the fundamental reason why our blackowned businesses don't grow. 95% of all blackowned businesses in America do $5 million or less revenue. 95%.
Uh 98% of our black owned businesses have one employee. And so that lack of capital uh is a massive reason why we do not we're not able to build and grow scale.
>> And I just want to say one one more thing. uh a lot of my uh uncles and my cousin they kind of had health problems because of they was not able to uh uh operate get operating capital for their land. Uh I can remember my cousin Houston uh when they took some of his land and and sold it, he he immediately got dementia and he got sick because he was worried about losing his land. So, in the factor of losing our land here in the Mississippi Delta, it's really impacting our our health problems because uh you know, we're worried you know, you're worried about your crop and then you're worried about your uh your land at the same time. So, we having a two factor. I know everybody talking about we got a lot of health problems here in the Mississippi Delta, but losing something that you fought for for a long time that you bought uh that can give you >> and that your ancestors bought.
Absolutely.
>> Uh what um I see this sign here that y'all had the highest grade of cotton in the world.
>> Uh and so in terms of um what are you what are you actually farming? What what crops are you farming uh here uh in Mount Bayou?
Well, in M Bay, we probably grow more grain than anything else.
>> I speak right into the microphone.
>> In M Bay, we grow more grain than anything else. Okay. Different forms of grain. I would like to take you back a little though.
When when the term M Bay, you know, a lot of people always ask me how did it get the name? Uh, and that was because of where it's located.
And it's it's it was mounds and bios and the land was owned by the president of the Confederacy, Jeff Davis. And the >> that's who I call America's greatest domestic terrorist. But go ahead.
>> Yes, that's that's how I refer to him.
>> I call Don Trump Don Trump the twice impeached criminally convicted felon command and chief. And I call Jefferson Davis America's greatest white domestic terrorist. Go ahead.
>> Yeah. when the [laughter] the land here was uh the water travel in circular patterns and that's that's it just fasc fascinated uh so many people until that's you know they started calling it the mounds between the bayers and that's that's how we got the name M by >> and and the way the story is told he had no idea what the hell he was doing >> Jeff Davis him him or his daddy Yeah.
>> And that >> because they they they uh set up a a base of operation down below Vixsburg on the side of the river and they uh use moving people up here and back there to uh run their business operation.
Okay. And when when uh the Civil War came uh they recognized that they wouldn't be able to maintain you know the power structure that they had. And then the the uh voting rights things came and it just black people got more power. And that was one thing that uh hampered our people was we weren't able to uh I heard you say a while ago how many millions million someone said how many millionaires there were in this area.
And that's where they came from. The tree structure that was here in this in this land. It's a large land area, you know, way more than 30,000 acres, way more than that. And and and the the tree structure was here is when the nor northern cities began to build. Those northern city began to build. The people, black people were the only people here this, you know, could survive the land. The white people weren't here because they couldn't deal with it. That's what it was. They couldn't deal with it. our our men could get out there and cut the land and then they load it on barges and ship it north and they use it to build those uh you know the bills that was done being done in the cities >> and that's what made those millionaires around here you tell the truth that were actually millionaire I learned all this from you know my elders cuz I listen you know and they talked and I listened and I you know I took it in and you know there's a lot of other stuff I I learned you know but I you know I get someone That's a chance.
>> Well, you know, you said soybeans is one of our major crops right now.
>> Uh because of we are following the prices. Uh cotton prices are are too low. Operating c uh inputs are too much.
Uh everybody around here is growing soybeans, rice is down, and uh we can see a lot of the things that are h happening with a lot of government tariffs and things like that.
>> Yeah. Donald Trump's idiotic terrorist have just destroyed because China has not bought a single soybean. And what's crazy is and that's that's what kills me with these white farmers who over Trump.
I'm like, y'all went broke last time. I mean, this is like just 2.0. He literally caused massive bankruptcies among many of these white farmers the first time he was there. And I'm like, what? Y'all thought he wasn't going to do it again? And so, I mean, he Donald Trump has single-handedly destroyed the American soybean market. uh uh internationally through these tariffs >> because soybeans was sold to China and China was uh doing a lot of swine production. We was getting a lot of of our po pork from China and we were selling them uh soybeans. So now the soybean production we trying to get that trade back together with China so we can uh we growing a lot of soybeans. How how have y'all been impacted by rising costs in fertilizer as a result of this war with Iran?
>> Input costs, you know, diesel, fertilizer, uh seeds, chemical, all these things. Uh when you go in there, you and in the previous year, you have a budget that you want to plan for. But in this season, everything has went above our budget that we're growing now.
>> What 20 30 40%? Oh, 50% we can say >> because the gas prices was $2.98. Now it's $4.30 right now.
>> Oh, but but but I thought Trump said he was gonna lower those prices.
>> That's what he said.
>> Didn't he say that?
>> I thought I thought he I thought he said Conlo was going to cause gas prices to go up. Yeah. Okay. We We know how that went.
>> We know how that went.
>> And fertilizer have double triple. So the uh the thing that you really want to grow right now is soybean. you don't have that much input cost in there.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh um you you talked about your grandkids and others and and passing it down. You also said that uh a lot of young folks want want to get into uh get into agriculture. Um it but is it also uh trying to get another a new generation understand that the reality is agriculture has completely changed from what it used to be. So when we talk about agriculture, um there's a different way to actually look at this this business because listen, we're talking a multi-billion dollar business. I think for a lot of African-Americans when they think agriculture, they literally think, "Oh my god, I'm going to be on my hands and knees uh out there dealing with land, dealing with dust." But the the industry has completely changed.
>> We can see our founding father, let me just move. We see our founders fathers it Mont McGomery when they came to Mount Bayou they was thinking about agriculture and when they came into this uh town that they purchased a lot of the land and I can remember when my gr my daddy told me about my granddaddy when they moved from uh Uniontown Alabama to Panther Barn Mississippi uh they came up and uh I to McGomery showed them some land west of Mount Bayou and they was able to purchase that land. So agriculture is what we was born on.
That's what we came over in this country for uh to do was agriculture work. So now >> for for free >> so that is one of the biggest uh industry we have even in in the Mississippi Delta.
>> You want to say something? Go ahead.
>> Yeah. one to one of the biggest things that the young people are facing today is financing to get started cuz I think somewhere on the application asks the question is do you have any experience >> if you've been working with your daddy or your mama there you have some experience but they don't count that as a part of the experience on your application and uh it has totally gotten recognized now because when I was walking behind the mew. I didn't ever think I could be sitting up on the tractor on the air conditioner, you know, working my crops now. But look how expensive that a piece of equipment is for me to ride with all that comfort GPS, >> air condition, GPS, got a radio, >> chilling.
>> One of the things expensive, but it's, you know, and a young it's hard for a young farmer to start with those kind of expenses. Go ahead.
>> Yeah. One of the things we have to watch is see that's the whole thing with the you know the computer movement is to evade the direct responsibility.
See they if they computerize everything then you know it's not like they can tell this man or me or you that you know we we know we doing wrong or we should do it. It's a machine, you know, and the machine is if they can get the votes like you're talking about where they can set up the programs to do exactly what they want the programs to do, then it doesn't matter, you know, what human beings say and think, whether you, you know, black, white, red, yellow, whatever, that machine, they're going to convey the manipulation and running of this society over to that machine, which means they, you know, they are de facto in control and you know and they know the answer every question.
>> Well, I know you was talking about uh the Mississippi Delta and I know you was talking about Mississippi. You was trying to say it's one of the poorest uh state in the union.
>> It is.
>> I know. But if you call the Mississippi Delta out of the state of Mississippi, Mississippi will be number one in everything right here. The Delta is where all we're mainly black. uh we are like 70% black and the the economy for us is not there. Uh you have our counterpart uh they are on large plantations and large large acres of land that they can uh be able to uh be productive citizen. We just are just struggling because we don't have that economic monetary in our back pocket. So we are talking about Mississippi. We're talking about Alabama, but it's just a part that we are in as black people. We are in those poor parts.
>> Yeah. Because I mean that was designed that way. And it was designed to keep us uh locked out of the economic system.
And I mean that is just simply the reality. And so we see we see this all across uh the country. So even if you talk about black belt in Alabama, you talk about Mississippi Delta, but all of a sudden you go to certain parts of Houston or Dallas or other large cities, the exact same thing applies. Uh and that is [clears throat] >> and that's one of the things that we're always talking about uh being frozen out of the system. That's one of the reasons why again when I connect the dots with black power uh if you look at CDFIs, community development, financial inst community uh financial institutions, one of the biggest supporters of CDFIS is Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Well, if Democrats control the House, she's chair of the House Financial Services Committee. Uh so she has played a role in driving billions of dollars to those institutions. uh when you talk about uh okay if Democrats get like I like it it cracks me up when I listen to all these old simple Simons out here who who whine and complain uh trying to say oh man you you sitting here you shilling for Democrats facts are facts if Democrats control the house congressman Bobby Scott is over the committee that's driving education money the reason alone state uh the reason HBUs got 17 billion dollars uh under Biden Harris was because Bobby Scott was the chair of that committee. He was the driving force of that money. Uh and so when we talk about losing political power, uh he's in Virginia, uh his seat is safe. But when you start talking about losing seats in Florida, if you lose figures in SU in Alabama, you lose Thompson in Mississippi, you lose your seat in Memphis and Tennessee, you lose uh the first congressional district, Don Davis, uh in North Carolina, uh you lose potentially two seats in Georgia. We've lost two in Texas. uh again you now don't have the ability of your people chairing committees being over those uh o over those committees to drive resources and so that's what we that's that's what I'm trying to constantly convey uh to our audience that we can't just be looking at politics in a one-dimensional way. We have to recognize and then I love the people who say well uh we shouldn't be begging the government.
these same white folks go to the same government to get money. Trust me, I don't know of a single white farmer that said, "Yeah, we're not going to take that 25 billion y'all set aside." And so they are taking advantage of those resources. So we just have to under we just have to understand uh that uh as well. Um final comment, final comment.
that is um um if there's for next generation, if there's somebody out there who's watching, somebody who's listening and they are interested in uh going into the agriculture business, what's the one piece of advice you have for them? I'll start here.
One thing I would say is, you know, take a long hard look and be willing to spend some time doing some research and be acceptable whatever comes up in your site.
>> We have some uh >> and get some comfortable shoes. Go ahead.
>> We have some H.B.CU uh UAPB, Alcoin State University, Southern and uh Alabama&M.
some of these uh universities that they can go in and get them a career there.
Uh agriculture is still the heartbeat of America and you gonna always have to eat three times a day. Uh breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And these farmers right here are the ones that feed you every day. I was >> I know I had some great ribs across the street earlier. So, go ahead. I'm sorry.
I would tell them to you have to go there with patient, hard work, and persistent because they're going to tell you no the first time, but you can't accept that no.
You have to go back and regroup and come back again because uh they're going to try to disenourage you all they can in every way that they can to keep you from getting into that part of the big industry which is farming. Agriculture is a big industry.
>> Yes, sir.
>> All right then. And so I'm going to do this here. Um I I was again I I I'm always giving stats because I want people to understand how the money works. And so earlier uh when I mentioned um so you take COVID relief uh Alorn got some $66 million uh in uh COVID relief. Uh but then when I look at um I when I look at funding uh that that additional funding uh that came uh let me pull and pull this up because uh this was uh I got this from uh Congressman Jim Clyburn. We were pulling up the numbers and I was trying to walk people through what the numbers actually look like. Uh, and the additional money, the additional money that Alcoin received uh was, let me go here. Uh, Alcoin received an additional 25 uh million. And so I'm I'm I'm saying that uh because people need to understand again when we have black representation, we have folk who are on the inside advocating for us. And so uh all of that absolutely matters. We appreciate it. Thank you so very much.
Uh folks uh when we come back, we'll have more from Mount Bay, Mississippi right here, Rolling Martin unfiltered on the Blackar Network.
[applause] This week at the Black Table, we discuss a place, [music] an idea, a dream, and a reality that everybody on the planet [music] should know about. A place called Mound Bayou.
>> What about black people creating their own country, not from the outside in, but from the inside out?
>> That's next on [music] the Black Table right here on the Black Star Network.
With medicine and science under attack, [music] I want to keep you and your family informed and healthy. I'm Dr. Ebony Hilton, and I knew at the age of eight that I wanted to be a doctor. So, I studied hard and became the first African-American female anesthesiologist hired at the Medical University of South Carolina since his opening in 1824.
And I always say I was made into a doctor, but I was born to be a mom. And as a new mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend, I understand how frightening a medical crisis can be. I care for individuals on some of the worst days of their lives. And it's my mission to provide you with a safe space to gain clarity on issues affecting your mind, body, and soul. I recognize that there are health disparities, particularly as it pertains to race. And I want to help bridge the gap between you and your healthcare providers. Join me every Thursday for Second Opinion on the Black Star Network, where each week I'll invite experts from [music] various medical fields to share the latest health news. We'll discuss topics such as the vaccine debate, mental and sexual health, medical bias, infertility, menopause, andropause, nutrition, and aging. Together with my medical colleagues, we aim [music] to provide you with a second opinion. Don't miss it. Thursdays only on the [music] Blackar Network.
Hey everybody, I'm TD Jake and I want to encourage you to watch Roland Martin Unfiltered.
It'll blow your mind.
All right, folks. Welcome back. Mound Bay, Mississippi. Uh right here on Rolling Martin unfiltered. Uh obviously when we talk about Mississippi, Mega Evers uh played a huge huge role uh fighting for black folks in this state and of course massive tiein to Mount Bayou. Uh Mayor uh Johnson comes back and he decided to bring bring his daddy.
You know, black people always want to do a shout out. Um [laughter] so uh so uh introduce your dad.
>> Well th this uh this is Herman Johnson.
Herman uh came here in the 50s. Um, and he uh came here with a letter from his his uh Southern University uh professor to give it to Dr. TRM Howard. And in that letter, it was introducing my dad. And my dad came to pick my mom up and go to Chicago. But Dr. Howard kept him here because Mega Evers had just he had just sent Mega Evers to Jackson. So, he needed somebody to fill the seat. And that's how my dad ended up here in Mount B, Mississippi.
And you never left.
>> I'm still here.
>> You're still here.
>> Still here.
>> Uh tell for the folks watching and listening um the experience of of being here during that period. And you're talking about 1950. So now we talking 76 years.
>> If you don't mind, let me let me just say real quick. When I came here, Mount Bay was jumping now. And I came here because my aunt was here and she had come and told my mother about Mount Bali. Mount Bali had voice black swimming pool, the uh high high board and the low board. It had the first zoo for black people probably in the state. It had tennis.
>> Just hold the microphone right to your head. There you go.
>> It little lower. that had so much that the other towns in the area didn't have and I'm saying I got to see this town.
So when I came here and Dr. I was say I you take this job and I took me ever's job and I worked with Magnus life insurance company until we until the clan got so hard on him they said they going to kill him and he left and went to Chicago and started a um a medical facility called Green Parrot in because He had a green parrot and a and a place here that people from all over the state were coming to to eat. Now I was kind of small then and I would see the people in eating big old watermelon and uh and the pictures of water and the water was brown. I thought it beer and watermelon that he was serving to them. But anyway, he started the Green Parrot in and in the Green Parrot Inn in Chicago.
[laughter] Interesting thing and I just like to say that uh he was the first medical facility in the state of Illinois that was prepared for what was it?
He was he was he was he was ready for abortions.
No other place in the state of Illinois is ready for abortions. And the white people got mad at him because they saying this this black man going to make too much money. [snorts] But the interesting thing too and it's a story that that is not told by everybody.
Jahooa who was bad on black people that was in civil rights when they stopped Dr. Howard for ambulance chasing in Chicago cuz he was working for SP Fuller [snorts] and they stopped him saying he was ambulance chasing. And he said, "But when they and he he in court, he said, "When they come to me, they said they hurt." I don't know anybody [clears throat] that has ever seen the pain. And you tell me if you've ever seen the pain, so I give them for what they said that they needed. But anyway, the interesting thing, and I saw it in the Pittsburgh Cur that J at Gahuba, who was so bad on black people all over state, he supported Dr. I >> complimented him for what he did in in in in Mississippi and I was surprised.
>> Well, that's cuz Jay Gouver was actually secretly black. Um, [laughter and clears throat] this is u you were talking about you were talking about um taking Meet Gaza's place. Uh even to the point that uh he left his typewriter and so was on display over here. It's this this typewriter over here. Anthony, don't tear up the museum, dog. I'm just messing with you. So you we got so so uh so we got your photo over there make man get that shot steady dog uh of a typewriter here. So uh that's what you worked on.
>> Well you know the typewriter and and the chair that sucker look heavy asking everything.
>> So the chair in the so he left everything. He was like >> well he when when uh when he left of course she went to the state field director. I took his place and I and uh when we had to close we he had closed about two years later. We closed Magno Mr. Life Insurance Company. So I brought the furniture home cuz somebody had to have it. So I brought the desk typewriter and chair and and I kept it and and my son grew up using that typewriter. My daughter grew up using the typewriter >> and we know anything about >> I didn't know it was [clears throat and laughter] mega >> that it was mega ever. I didn't tell them because at that time me ever's name had not be become important. But anyway, later on after he after he did become, you know, known nationally, Mega Evers and uh later on u uh Marina Evers, who was Mega Ever's daughter, >> came to do a speech in Mab and she came to my house and I sat her in the chair and desk typewriter and I typed in the typewriter. This is a typewriter that came from Magno Visual that your daddy owned when he was and she suddenly cried. But anyway, that was just an interesting story that I brought from um uh Magnolia Life Insurance Company to my home and now in the museum.
>> Uh Darl, share for folks. This will be the last question before I go to break and bring up our final guest. Uh there's another sign over here. uh share for folks uh who who never heard of this connection between Mount Bayou and Imit Thiel until they actually uh saw the movie.
>> That's right. A lot of people did not know. They don't tell our history. But here's the deal. Mate Tilliel's come comes to Mississippi. She come to a racist dark state. Mount Bay is the light. It's the lighthouse. It's the place of sanctuary. And Dr. TRM Howard actually pulled her in. not only her but uh other journalists and other people white and black they were protected when they came to Mount Vayian. It was the place and it it had become a place of sanctuary for years where people knew that if I can get to Mount Bay this is where I could I could I could be safe.
So this was what it was and made me teal was part of that and and of course she had relatives here in Mount Baya but Dr. Howard also had people in his house that took care of her uh as far as security is concerned and then a lot of secret stuff. My dad used to drive Dr. Howard around and he could hide a gun in his car and you never could find it.
[laughter] >> So you got you got you got secrets, huh?
>> [laughter] >> Well, look, I I had the opportunity to drive around. But let me tell you something a lot of people don't know is that Mount Bay was a sanctuary. If anybody got into trouble all around the state of Mississippi and if they made it to Mount Bay, they were safe.
>> That was it.
>> Because we had a you don't know it. We had an underground railroad station in the hotel here in Mount Bay and and and and the the mayor and the and and the police and they knew who it was. But if you made it to Mount Bay, the next time you heard of it, you were in Chicago, uh New York or St. Louis. They don't know how you got where you got make it to the hotel.
>> You made a m you disappeared. [laughter] We took care of them either way.
>> We took care this is sanctuary city and the police didn't come to Mia. They had to check with the police in the m in m before they could come.
>> That's right.
>> And it was a long time before they started making try to make their way into Mount Bay.
>> That's right.
>> But anyway, >> before they figure out what y'all were doing.
>> Yeah. [snorts] >> All right then. Well, look, I appreciate you sharing those stories with us. Thank you so very much. I appreciate the opportunity.
>> All right. Thanks. Thank And again, you say you came here 1950 and so how old are you now?
>> 97.
>> 97. All righty then. All right. We appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Quick break. We'll be right back. Rolling Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
>> Hey y'all. Welcome to the other side of change only on the Black Star Network and hosted by myself Ria [music] Baker and my good sis Jamira Burley. We are just two millennial women tackling everything at the intersection of politics, gender, [music] and pop culture. And we don't just settle for commentary. This is about solutiondriven dialogue to get us to the world as it could be and not just as it is. Watch us on the Blackar Network. [music] So tune in to the other side of change.
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.
[music] >> 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.
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Folks, you heard me mention earlier um that type of cotton that was here in Mount Bayou. Uh it was uh you see the sign right here. It said the highest grade of cotton in the world. Uh and joining us right now is Dr. uh Sadi. No, Dr. Shotti did that. I did it on purpose. Dr. Shade uh Turner Speed, executive director of the Cotton Pickers of America Historic Site. Glad to have you here. So, what is the cotton picking cotton pickers historic site of America?
Explain that.
>> Well, it is a tribute to Grandma Manu.
It is finally our effort, our our very intentional uh effort to say thank you for picking all that damn cotton. No one has honored them throughout.
I get emotional about this thing because can you imagine and I know you can out there picking that cotton from Ken the Kate six days a week and how much did you make? How many thanks did you get?
and for us not to acknowledge and pay respect and show our children how to be respectful of that work and and honor them in a way that is dignified and and just they are so worthy of everything I can imagine.
>> Explain that because what you have is you have a lot of people >> um who do not want to talk about any of that.
Uh when movies come out, folks will say, "Um, oh man, we don't need another slave movie. Uh, we don't need another first."
And I'm always going, you y I'm like, y'all act like it's a lot of them. And it's not. And what I've often said is that as early you talked about controlling narrative and the problem that we have is we are looking at those movies as if we are victims. When I say no, when I look at folk who who went through shadow slavery, who went through uh reconstruction, who went through Jim Crow, I said, "No, those are heroes without capes, what they endured." And so part of that, to your point, is showing respect to those ancestors and not act as if they were irrelevant. And by saying, "Oh, I don't even bring them up. I don't want to hear it. I don't I don't I don't want to hear anything celebrating the picking of cotton.
>> Let me be clear. First of all, I'm an educator. I'm a retiring professor from Jackson State University, the olive.
Okay. But the thing is is that >> this all corn territory. Don't be coming in here starting no mess. Don't be coming here starting no mess.
>> Valley. Who here? [laughter] Okay.
>> You see me? Valley State. Come on now.
You start mess.
>> So I'm going back to Valley which was a cotton field by the way and grew up into a university. the old the youngest H.B.CU. But I want to make the point of education because it's that how was it the narrative? You know, how did you talk about this thing? How did people learn about this thing? How degrading and and and so horrible was the description of that work. We need to put some dignity on that stuff. And you know, the agency in owning the fact that we built this country picking that cotton. This became the cotton kingdom.
That's right. And the king of cotton was Benjamin T. Montgomery, the father of Isaiah T. Montgomery and Benjamin Green who started this. I mean, that whole narrative >> That's right.
>> is amazing. And most folks don't know nothing about it, but this effort is headed up. Our original and inaugural chair was Dr. Maya Angelou, who wrote a special poem in tribute to our our efforts here. It's our mandate, our marching orders. When she passed, BB King became our our honorary chair. Now it's Bobby Rush. But Ed Dwight, the man who went to the moon with Jeff Bezos shuttle or whoever >> who was actually the first black astronaut.
>> Exactly. He is the developer of the monument. He has the whole game plan. I just spoke with him on yesterday and he's saying, "Shhatter, you better hurry up and get this thing cuz he's 93." So he want he has 133 monuments already in play in this country on African-American history and he is saying he has done all of that to be able to do this cotton picker monument.
>> All right. So explain to us this monument. Anthony, where are you? I need a shot of this. I need a shot of the monument. It's right behind you.
>> Yeah. It's a man, woman, and child looking for a brighter day. And Mr. Herman Johnson wrote the poem that describes what this monument is saying and we have published it in a book called field hollows and freedom songs. So thank you Mr. Johnson for your beautiful poem and your contribution to this who he too was a part of the original board along with Sylvester Hoover uh the two gentlemen here that were part of the initial and original board of directors to get this monument built.
>> All right. So um so uh uh where would this monument be placed?
>> By you.
>> And um okay, what do you need? How far along are you?
>> Well, we need $30 million. Somebody out there write us a check real quick right now.
>> So you need So to build this to to build this monument, how what will be the size of this monument?
>> This monument will be on uh it's a historic park, right?
>> And it will extend to Mississippi Valley State University. We're still negotiating that. But at all 18 counties that represent the Cotton Kingdom, we will have a shotgun house interpretive center.
>> Okay. And so here um we're still negotiating land space, but we're working with the Johnson's on that in that regard as well too.
>> Got it. Uh and what will be the size of the the monument?
>> 30 ft.
>> 30 ft.
>> Yeah.
>> So the so the 30 million is for the monument and the whole the whole project >> complex. Yes. The whole project.
>> Um has uh what role does the state uh play in this? Have you know they embracing this or not? Let me just let me just say that we haven't asked for the money yet because we were getting the nar the story right. Okay.
>> I got my PhD around this whole thing.
Right. Getting and doing this research.
It is amazing. First of all, cotton didn't was is not indigenous to North America. It is indigenous to Africa. We brought the seed. We brought the gin. We brought the skills. We brought the people who knew how to plant and pick cotton and make it into what it has become the number one commodity of all commodities for over 200 years. All profits that were made did not equate to the monies that were made in cotton. We got to understand that. And we didn't.
That's because we wasn't paid, right?
That's why they made so much money.
That's why all these white folks still rich on trust fund accounts. Thank you very much. Because they didn't pay their workers. They didn't pay us. So again, we have to make that demand. And who is it? Frederick Douglas who said you ain't going to get nothing until you demand it.
>> And so you got to know what you know and know that grandmom and them did this work and trusting that we will benefit from their labor. So where's our demand for that? Reparations, okay.
Retributions, okay? Whatever Rword you want to use, we got to be the one to make that demand. And so I'm just saying this is a very important first step and it was John Jarvis, Dr. um uh President uh Barack Obama's national park director when I was telling him about it because we wanted to become a national park once we build it, let the country take care and protect this thing for the life of this country. He said >> it's time. So, so again, so for for the whole project is 30 million. Yes.
>> Uh but to get the statute done, what is that?
>> Yeah, that part is broken down. Ed has a whole complete budget broke down. And I'm not >> How much is it?
>> I can't remember. I think it's about two mill. It's about two I think it's about 2 million for the >> cuz you already said the man 93.
>> You got to hurry up.
>> So the whole thing is get the money to build the monument. So at least the monument is done. Hey rolling this 2 million that like [laughter] okay okay I know you want doc no no no no see doc right there see [laughter] doc let me real clear >> doc let me real clear you can't get 30 unless you get two that's right [laughter] >> then you can't get two can't get five until you leave that's all I'm saying so like you said the man 93 so if we at least get the monument built >> we at least get the monument built and say thank you all in your There you go.
So, I'm just saying, doc, next time you do a TV show, come with the number.
Don't be saying I don't know.
>> I got on my computer.
>> Yeah, but no, you got to break that thing [laughter] down. See, you see, you trying to complicate this. Okay.
>> You trying to get it done.
>> No, you see See, >> we going all over.
>> See? Okay. You a preacher. You need to explain to her about how to raise money.
[laughter] Okay. She ain't doing this right. She ain't doing this right.
>> No. You see, you ain't doing this right.
>> Helping her out.
>> You need to help her out. She ain't doing this right. Look, I look I know how to raise money. You ain't doing this right. [laughter] >> WE NEED YOU ON board sitting here saying I don't know.
>> We need that kind of help.
>> I got on a legal pad at my house. No, that ain't going to do it.
>> On my computer.
>> That ain't going to Okay. So, uh, so again, what is your projected timeline?
When would you like to have the money raised and the project done?
>> Yeah, it is a three-year process and building it out completely. And so now is the time that we are truly launching for the funding process. We haven't asked for the money because it's like I always felt that it's only going to take one or two checks, Oprah.
>> No, no, no. It ain't going to take one or two checks. It could No, it's not. It could. It's not. I believe.
>> No, it's okay. First of all, as somebody Look, Alpha Alpha Return Incorporated led the building of the MLK.
>> Tell you right now, that was not one of two checks. No, >> it was a series of small checks. So my So my whole point is you don't wait.
Look, this show right here uh we all the people it's only one prominent person that's given to this show. One this show is this show has been built and has survived for seven and a half years because of 47,000 people who have given one 510 $25. So that's what I'm saying.
So, next question, doc. What is the website for people to go to? Do you have your donate link up on the site? Don't tell me you ain't got no >> No, you know I ain't going to tell you ain't got no site. No links.
>> You don't have a site?
>> Of course we gotite. The site is What's the site?
>> www.c cottonpickers.
us. And there are four different ways that you >> Hold up. Let's make sure the website up.
Cottonpickers.
>> Okay. All right. Go.
>> Go.
>> Keep going. Oh, and two on your point uh about the monuments because my sister who you know very well, Julian Malvo, she was in uh involved in pulling together the monument for Fanny Liu Hamer.
>> Okay. So, I'm on y'all's site right now, Doc. So, y'all have send monetary donations. Y'all got Cash App and Vinmo.
Okay. I'm going to need you to add PayPal.
>> PayPal is PayPal. Not on Doc. I'm on the website. Doc, doc, I'm way ahead of you.
>> It's another link then. I where >> it's in there.
>> Okay, look. Y'all can go and the website.
>> I told y'all I know how to raise money.
>> So many ways to donate.
>> Okay, let me go.
>> Even mailing a check.
>> Okay, hold up. I'm checking. I'm checking.
>> Make it payable to Coffrey, Inc. We are a 501c3 uh nonforprofit don um organization here based in Indianola, Mississippi. And so we've been at this since 2009.
>> Okay. So doc, let me give you some advice. Okay, so here's the problem. If you click the donate button, if you click menu and you click donate, it only goes to PayPal.
>> Okay, so that's PayPal is the third one, >> right? No, no, no. But you need a whole donate page. So when you just said send a check and everything, that's not on here. So you need to whoever's doing your website, they need to change your donate page. And on the donate page, you need to have PayPal, Cash App, Vinmo, Zale, and the address options, >> all that on the all that right there on the page because so the problem is on your main page, it only has cash app in Vinmo, but if you click to donate, it only goes to PayPal.
>> Okay.
>> So, yeah. So, you need to change the donate page.
>> Okay. Clarice N.
>> Who?
>> Clarice Norton.
>> Okay. Clarice Norton. Clarice, let me help you out. Also, Clarice, on your homepage, Clarice, you got the money too low. Uh, so you need to have the money, Clarice, at the top of the page. Uh, the money is never too low. Put the money up top. Like at the top.
>> At the top. Always put the money up top.
I'm just saying. Okay. That's what you guys I'm just saying. That's what you got to do. Look, our fans have given $5.5 million in seven years. Oh, so we we know where to put the money. Uh, and so uh so folks, do this here.
Cottonpickers.
Cottonpickers.
Go to the website. Y'all can read all the information. I I it's a lot of great information on here. I'm looking at it right now. Uh and you can you can support this uh as well. Anything else you got to say?
>> Yeah, please support this effort to say thank you to Grandma and them for picking all that damn cotton.
>> All right, then. All right, Shotty, I appreciate it. Yes, >> I got it. All right, here we go. So, uh explain the the seeds of hope garden Indianola. Uh plant your garden and make it grow. Explain this. Yes, we were talking about how youth can be and should be involved in this agricultural land ownership planting the seeds make them grow effort. We have something that is going to be a template and our a model for all of the Delta to follow and that is they're going to have their own little plots of land next to the house of Cafrey in Indianola downtown and we have an acre of property where we're cordoning off 6 feet by 6 feet and so we got the kids who will be monitoring and planting their own garden and making it grow. But we need y'all to help them. So you need to come through and help them, show them how to do it, right?
>> And then they will be planting their own little strawberries, their own little greens and onions or tomatoes or whatever they want. And these beautiful structures that we have developed for them, very artistically created with cinder blocks and walls of you know how you can plant stuff on the walls.
>> So people want to do that. Uh so y'all are doing an orientationformational meeting and walk through um on Saturday May 9th at noon. Yes.
>> Uh so people want to get more information. What site do they go to?
>> I don't see it on here.
>> I'm sorry.
>> Where do they go? Is there a website they go to?
>> Oh, yeah. That again is the cottonpickers us.
>> So, this this is on here as well. So, this information, the seeds of hope is on cottonpickers. All right, y'all. So, if you want more information on the seeds of hope, go to cottonpickers us uh and check it out. Charlie, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you.
>> I'm not going to take a break. So, uh I need you to come on up. We were talking We were talking earlier uh Herman and Daryl. Uh so explain to us uh so this story has gone around that said that Trump uh Trump's white Africans from South Africa were invading Mount Bayou.
Uh and so we were chatting about that. U so so what is going on with that story?
Um can you explain it to us? Well, I can tell you how it happened to hear >> because the story has gone all around and black folks are posting about saying, "Oh, Lord, Trump's white people are coming in and taking over the black town." Uh, and go ahead.
>> Well, a man came in here, a young man from looks looked like he was from China or something, and he came in here and said that he was writing a story. Uh, and he said he was writing a story for a publication in China. And he had been going around. He had been to Greenwood.
He had been to other places in the Delta and he was collecting quotes about the people coming from South Africa, the the whites coming from South Africa working in the farms in the Mississippi Delta.
My response to him immediately, because I have people in here, and uh I said, "Look, I don't know too much about it, but um you know, you you may find other people around here in town who know something about that." He said, "Well, just give me a quote. give me a couple of quotes and that's it. Well, I can give you a couple of quotes because I have seen the people and uh so I told him what I knew about it and that was it. The next thing I know a few days later, the whole story is about how it's coming to Mount Bayou. Yeah, it was done by >> and impacting the people in Mount Bayou, >> which was not the case.
>> It was done. Like literally, I'm looking at this first of all to the control room. I'm going to drop this in our uh group meet. So, I want y'all to pull it up. I'm going to read from some of it.
Uh, and it was done by uh, and in fact, the Jackson Clarion Ledger ran the story. Uh, the headline said Mississippi historic black farming hub hit as white South Africans take farm jobs. This is by the China Central Television. The lead said, "In Mount Bayou, Mississippi, which once stood as a proud symbol of African-American self-governance, unemployment among African-American residents is soaring as white South African farm workers feel local roles under US visa programs, often earning more than locals." Um and um it says for years Mexican laborers dominated these positions but with the US government dramatically tightening immigration policies Mexican workers have largely stopped coming creating job vacancies that South Africans have rushed to fill.
So is that happening >> here?
>> No. Step up. Step up.
>> Okay. Explain. So what's going on? First of all, what's your name?
>> My name Charles Mlin President. I got the microphone. Put your hands down.
[laughter] All right. No, come on. I got it. I got it. What's your name?
>> My name Charles Mley, president of Sunflower County NAACP.
>> Sunflower County NAACP.
>> Okay. Gotcha. So So what is going on?
>> Well, South African came here to farm in Indianola. Uh they've been coming for years.
>> How far is Indianola from here?
>> 30 minutes.
>> Okay.
>> And so they have been uh coming to Inola for years. And what has been happening is that they'll come over from South Africa and they'll do the same jobs that black peoples are doing in the order for years, but they've been getting paid more. Ty Pinkkins that was part of the U Mississippi Center for Justice that case about four years ago. So he he was able to get money for the black farmers that was being neglected for for pay. They got about seven paid. I took that case to the Mississippi Center for Justice.
And so right now they saying that since that happened they trying to do the same thing in my bay Mississippi that's what's happened. So it's no truth to it but they know that South Africa came here to work in the fields and they was uh probably thinking they was going to do the same thing here in Mount Bay that they did in city.
>> What y'all saying is that is not going to happen in Mount Bay.
>> It can't happen in Mount Bay. [laughter] >> Okay. Got it.
>> That is not our narrative. [laughter] >> Yeah. Good on that. So you like, so you saying they can go some other places, but they not going to be coming here taking farmer jobs in Mount B.
>> I can't see a black farmer hiring a white South African. And the white farmers I mean black farmers are here.
So why are they hiring white black white South Africans?
>> But it is farmers.
>> Got it. Now, Italians and white farmers have land.
>> Yeah. Italian and white farmers are are are ones who recruiting them.
>> Around the outside, what y'all saying is they ain't going to be farming in Mount Bayou.
>> Exactly.
>> There you go. Okay. Let me just >> We just wanted to clear that up. Go ahead.
>> Let me just say what? See, this is the thing. They assume coming from another country, they assume that they just keep walking and keep walking and let me go into this black where these folks are in here and then they say mountain bike.
But they didn't know where they were.
>> So they thought that they could put all of that together.
>> I'm just trying to figure out why even Jackson newspaper would run that like they don't even know where this is.
>> Yeah, but it was it was an article.
>> Got it.
>> Yeah. So just run the article. They nobody checked it, >> right? But but again though, this is also why black why black own media is important, right? Uh to be able because again when I saw the story, I was like, "Hold up, wait a minute. What?"
>> I'm like, >> "Yeah."
>> Yeah.
>> White African rolling up in the black town. I'm like I said, "So so when so we had to show I was like, "Hey, let's go ahead and roll on down there and then we can do a do a show from there and then find out exactly what's going on." So, uh, cuz I just knew, uh, y'all weren't going to be cool with them with them with them white Africana refugees rolling up in Mount Bayou. I'm just saying.
>> I'm just saying. Okay. I glad we got that straighten out.
>> The pants are too short anyway.
>> Huh?
>> The The pants were too short.
[laughter] >> Yeah, but also they too pale. So, I'm just saying. Uh, and I and I surely don't think black people in Mississippi going to be cool with some folk coming from a partid south from these formerly aparttheid folks. Exactly. I'm just saying. All right. Uh I appreciate uh the hospitality. Thanks for everybody for being on the show. Thank you so very much. Uh it was it was great coming here and I really want folks to learn the history. So So folk obviously if they can't come here uh where can they go online to learn about the Mount Bayou Mississippi history?
>> mbayyou museum.org.
>> mound bayou museum.org.
Okay. Yes. Uh and also folks uh they've got uh a number of uh books and mugs and shirts and things along those lines that you can also uh get to support. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much.
>> And we got a donate button at the top of our website.
>> So [laughter] Shard, >> WE DO TOO.
>> SHARD.
SHARD.
>> What's her name?
>> What's her name? Clarissa. What's her name?
>> Clarice Norton. She's Jamaica. Clarice.
>> My niece in Jamaica.
>> Clarice. I'm going to need you Clarice to change that website. Okay. to get that donate paid straight.
>> Got you. She got you.
>> All right. Get that donate paid straight. All right, y'all. Uh that is it for us. I appreciate again. We had a great time last night uh in Shreport uh really trying to help that community heal after that massive tragedy. Eight kids being killed, two women being shot uh there. Brothers are stepping up. Uh so Dr. Kevin Washington, they had a series of events happening right now in Shreport. They've got other events happening tomorrow as well. And so please support that. Uh and again, it was great being here uh as well, folks.
We're back in the studio uh on Monday.
Look forward to that. Don't forget uh continue to support the work that we do.
Uh listen, we don't just sit here like a bunch of these other people uh sit in a studio in DC or New York and never go out. We spend lots of time on the road traveling the country uh covering uh stories talking to uh folks about what's going on. And so your support for what we do is critical. Our goal is very simple. Let me show you how to do this.
Sh goal is very simple. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each a year. That's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. That supports all of the shows on the Blackar Network. Uh and so, uh we're able to do that. That raises a million dollars to offset our annual expenses, which are $195,000 a month. And so your support is critically important to do that. Uh and remember, every Friday we also run the name of all of our donors. Uh and so we have some 47,000 folks who have contributed since we launched the show 7 and a half years ago. So, if you want to be sure to get your name on that list, you want to contribute via cash app, use a stripe QR code. You see the QR code right here on the screen. Also, uh, and if you are listening, go to blackstar network.com and you can actually access that. That's also for credit cards.
Checks and money order, make it payable to roller Martin unfiltered, PO Box 571-96, Washington DC 200037-196.
Learn your address. Shade is PayPal is R Martin unfiltered. Venmo's RM unfiltered. Dale Roland at roland s martin.com rolling at rolandmartonfilter.com.
Download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Samsung smart TV. Uh, also Amazon Fire TV. A lot of y'all want to get our Roller Mart unfiltered swag, our zip-ups, our crew necks, our t-shirts. Y'all know uh the bestselling shirt we have. Don't blame me. I voted for the black woman. You can get that as a t-shirt or a crew neck as a sweatshirt. Go to shopblackstaretwork.com.
when you go to shoplackstar network.com support all the blackowned businesses that that we have more than 50 blackowned businesses with all their products uh there uh so please support them as well in our marketplace all those products you see right there in our studio those are all blackowned companies and so please uh support them as well and uh don't forget uh download the app fan base the black own social media app fan base follow me at Roland Martin uh and every uh day check out the breakdown with Britney Noble noon Eastern on the blackstar network, folks.
That's it. I'll see y'all I'll see y'all on Monday right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Holla.
>> Thank you, Roland.
We got to let you know.
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