N He The Folks Blackstar network is here hold no punches I’m real revolutionary right now support this man black media he makes sure that our stories are told thank you for being the voice of Black America rolling I love y’all we have now we have to keep this going the video looks
Phenomenal see this difference between black star Network and black on media and something like CNN you can’t be black on media and be scared it’s time to be smart bring your eyeballs home you Dig N He Today is Monday December 4th 2023 it is the 117th anniversary of the coldest the boldest fraternity in the land Alpha F Alpha Fraternity Incorporated uh this is an alpha show today uh coming up folks we’ve got the mayor of Houston brother Silvester Turner talking about the Mayoral race this Saturday and also
His response to John Whitmire who’s running for mayor for his political dog whistle questioning diversity uh of the mayor’s Administration also Congressman Steven Horford also an alpha chair Corr of black Haw as we talk about how much of a joke the House Republicans are not doing the business of the American
People plus we’ll talk with Congressman Emanuel cleever another Alpha about the housing shortage uh in this country actress Julian margal o she’s backpedaling her statements uh uh saying that black people in LGBT community uh align with Palestinian terrorists also another Trump codefendant just crazy sister could have her bail revoked of
Her recent statements are found to be threatening to a WI winess plus uh we’ll have lot of shout out from Brothers all across the country it’s time to bring the funk Alpha style I’m Roland Martin on filter on the Blackstar Network let’s Go he’s got the scoop the F the fine and when it breaks he’s right on time and it’s rolling best believe he’s knowing putting it down from boster news to politics with entertainment just for KS he’s Rolling it’s [Applause] Ro it’s rolling mon yeah rolling with rolling now he’s FK he’s fresh he’s real the best you know he’s rolling [Applause] Mar [Applause] Folks today is the anniversary of alifi alpha return Incorporated and so of course yours truly 34e member of the Frat and so we’ve got a jam-pack show for you we’re kicking things off uh out of Houston where mayor Sylvester Turner uh took some time during last week’s
City council meeting uh to address mayor candidat say Senator John Whitmire for saying that Turners administration had not was not diverse enough say what so he just a little of of what the mayor had to say uh about whtm criticism is lodged by uh Senator John
Whtm and I want to respond if you’re going to uh attack this Administration and one of the criticism was that there is no diversity with regards to I guess my top leaders at the city that was a dog whistle because uh let me just say to
You with respect to Asians who are in top positions here at this city um as you know I’ve I appointed sanj ROM as chair of Metro first Asian that’s my appointment uh I also appointed our uh our comment as the first woman chair of Metro that was my kareim that was my
Appointment uh priia Zachariah uh chairs mayor’s office of resilience and sustainability Asian first my appointment and doing an outstanding job on me say if you all can recall tandri emo emo the first Asian woman to chair Finance director that was my appointment okay uh Mino Patel Davis chairs um um
Um human trafficking okay and it’s been here for at least eight years respect to Hispanics if you all can recall um Chief observador was the head of the police department and chief Pena headed the fire department all at the same time okay that was historic my appointment um all right folks Jo us
Right now is Mayor sesta Turner uh mayor glad to have you here happy Founders Day Day to you 06 so let’s get right to it um we got the got this runoff election between state Senator John Whitmire congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee election is taking place on Saturday
And and and Whitmire has been saying uh some pretty crazy things and so to say you haven’t had enough diversity that’s crazy uh Roland uh this Administration has been the most diverse in the city’s history okay the most diverse um and when you look at the pre let’s say the last two administrations
Not one Asian not one in the white Administration or in the Imp Park Administration not one uh with respect to this Administration we have representations of Asians African-Americans anglos um Hispanics lgbtq all in major positions and as I indicated what you just heard um when I
Came in I named a Hispanic head police and a Hispanic head of the fire department both at the same time that has never taken place in the history of this city what uh and then of course he he he he trying to throw out uh corruption
With regards to the uh contracts uh at uh at at the airports there uh because the owner of papis is not happy that they were not a part of the winning bid uh at Houston’s Hobby Airport uh full disclosure uh my brother Reg his companies on uh one of the teams that
Actually uh did win it but wasn’t that a an actual process that that was that that it wasn’t like it was chosen by the mayor of the city council you’re right it went through a uh procurement process uh they went through the interviews they went through the scoring uh papet did
Not come out number one they came out number two and in fact in the um best and final offer uh Papas lowed their um uh what they will be giving to the city they didn’t go up they didn’t remain the same they lowered it and as a
Consequence of that they lost and what he what with Maya uh supposedly is advocating you just give it to them you know because of who they are just give it to them well if we end up doing that we would have been in trouble we would have been violating the procurement
Rules the people who guided are the people who scored number one they wanton it they gave for came forth with the best bid and they wanton it and papers and no one else uh should be entitled or feel like they have an entitlement to remain uh just because they’ve been
There for the previous 20 years you have to compete and you have to adhere to the procurement rules and policies and procedures and that’s what we did and then the team that scored number one is over at the airport you you you called is uh a political dog wil so um what’s
At play here well it’s a the the marriage race and it can be it can go either way it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s it’s close and essentially when you get in a debate on television and you start saying well look at the people who are on the the mayor’s uh the mayor’s
Directors on his team there are no Hispanics there are no his no uh Asians uh what are you applying implying number one that’s factually incorrect number two you’re making this and turning into a racial issue or you saying there are too many blacks and if you’re saying
That then what is the quota what number are you saying but the reality is now this is a very diverse city um my Administration has one of the most if not the most diverse representation in the history of this city and uh and you will see people from all Persuasions uh
That are in Key leadership positions here at the city of Houston we’re very proud of that and quite frankly up until him making that comment I think most people in the city of Houston have been proud of the of the diversity uh that exists in this city and the fact that we
Have key people people of color from the highest level to the mid level all the way down and we’re very proud of that um I saw a previous video as well uh I think he was I don’t know if he was speaking at a church or was a banquet I
Can’t not quite sure uh and you said that in eight years of mayor uh you’ve never gotten a phone call from Senator witm saying what kind of assistance uh do you need for the City of Houston in Austin he is been in the state legislature uh for a very long time you
Sered in the state legislature as well uh and so I I do find it pecul that uh a state senator there only 31 in in in the whole state uh never heard from a Houston State Senator and you’re the mayor of the city and that’s a factual statement as a factual statement we’ve
Gone through storms we’ve gone through covid social civil unrest uh the list goes on and on in 8 years uh I have faced seven uh federally declared disasters and I should say the city has faced them and in those eight years of the two mayoral candidates only
One has called me me at least just one time and offered any his support and gave any his support and that’s been congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for whatever reason the Senator Senator Whitmire has never picked up the phone and offered to help this city or offered
To meet any help or advice not one time I can’t tell you why I can only tell you factually what has occurred in the last 8 years um it is a big election uh on uh Saturday you have endorsed congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee uh and uh obviously a
Lot of eyes are on this particular race uh it is a diverse City and you’ve had you got a lot of Republicans uh in the city who are supporting uh Senator Whit Meyer uh and but when you’ve got endorsements going back and forth from your perspective why would Congressman
Sheila Jackson Lee make a better better mayor for the city than John Whitmire well you know it’s uh this is a diverse City and we Face a lot what I can say to you is that in the last eight years we fac those seven federally declared disasters the congresswoman has stood by
This city and the congresswoman has stood by me she didn’t wait to get a phone call she’s utilized her position in the best for the for the betterment of the city of Houston she’s brought down resources that’s important and it is important as we move forward to have
Someone sitting in the mayor’s seat that can establish positive relationships with the local units of government Harris County with the feds that’s critically important and even know know how to deal with the state as well uh her experience speaks volumes on that end in terms of this city we are a
Global City and it’s important that you you’re able to represent us on the national and Global stage she’s certainly prepared and has proven very capable of doing that and then at the same time uh she is a doer she gets things done she’s very result oriented and she’s demonstrated that so quite
Frankly there are just a lot of pluses of uh in her favor and I they say that without having to bash anybody else or the person that’s running in the race with her she has established herself uh since she’s been a city council person uh since she’s been in Congress of
Someone who knows how to represent uh the best interest of everyone in the city of Houston and therefore you know I’m I’m I have given my support to her uh you are in the uh final days of uh your uh eight years as mayor uh it has
Been highly successful one of the things that we talked about in June we were there for juneth uh is what you have been able to do uh to really grow uh the opportunities for black and minority businesses uh by being mayor and and and the record will speak
For itself rolling um under this Administration uh businesses of color his Hispanics Asian African-Americans have received more business uh from this city uh at a historic level and specifically that holds true for African-American businesses they are and we’re talking about businesses who are fully capable of doing the work so their
Representation in terms of doing business with the city uh speaks volumes we’ we’ve we’ve worked very hard to build a very inclusive community and not just in terms of representation and not just in terms of who is sitting in the chairs but in terms of the economic opportunities that this city has to
Offer and on in each one of those categories uh you can check the box and as a result of this of this communities are doing better because families are doing better because people are uh are doing better economically and they can pass that on down to their employees and
Everyone else so those are good things and I think that will speak volumes uh for the future of this city what would you say uh is uh the uh for you personally the greatest uh accomplishment uh that you have been able uh to uh to to do well this is a
This is the most diverse City in the city of Houston and you can be diverse separate segregated and a part or you can be diverse and inclusive at the same time we’ve been able to hold the city together and move forward the second thing is that we have faith more storms
Uh more disasters more major events than anyone previously sitting in this seat uh but we’ve come through it we’ve built a very resilient stronger sustainable City and it’s been a we thing so I give High marks uh for uh the collaboration it hadn’t been a me thing it’s been a we
Thing and so people on all levels have come together in order for us to get through these storms and at the same time be a very very competitive City with other cities not only in this state and in this country but globally as well and I think that speaks volumes for
Houston and who we are on another on a lighter note we have brought more um sporting events and conventions to this city than anyone in the history of the city sitting in this chair and more sporting events uh than any other city in the country and that’s what the
Harris Houston Sports Authority just put out a few days ago so we we’ve done well the Astros have won the World Series twice they’ve been in the world series three times they’ve been a a uh Division champion seven consecutive times and I’ve been mayor eight times so I think
Um I think we have a pretty good track record and now even the Texans are doing very very well only thing we got to do is get the Rockets uh handling their business and then we’ll have a tror there we on we look we we’re on our way
And then again let me let me but let me take the opportunity to thank you uh for what for your advocacy for what you are doing uh you certainly made uh Alpha Alpa P turn Incorporated very very proud but quite frankly you’ve given a voice
To a whole lot of people who need to be heard in this day and time we are we’re going through some tough times and that’s why I hate to see what’s happening in the city of Houston right now when when you inject even in a dog whistle race into
The equation that’s not a good thing that’s not a good thing so um so let me thank you and let me just say you know happy Founders Day absolutely absolutely and of course for me it all started there at Jack y’s High School M School of Communications and so uh that’s it
Mayor Turner I appreciate it uh again uh good luck uh in the final uh days of your uh uh of you been the Mayors uh and I’m sure I will see you around in around Houston of course uh at the brook The Church Without Walls yes sir yes sir
I’ll see you soon man all right thanks a lot be well take care okay folks going to break we come back uh chat with my panel also talk about a lot of the news we got going uh Congressman Steven hores for chair the congression of Black Caucus will be joining us Congressman
Emanuel Cleaver will be talking about housing uh in this country it’s a whole lot we got to discuss right here on roller Martin unfiltered on the Black start Network on this Alpha founders day we’ll be right back hatred on the streets a horrific scene white nationalist rally that descended into deadly [Applause]
Violence my people are losing their damn Minds as an angry prot Trump M storms the US capital we’ve seen we to see the rise of what I call White minority resistance we have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting I think what we’re
Seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial this is part of American History every time that people of color have made progress whether real or symbolic there has been what Carol Anderson at H University calls white rage as a backlash is the wrath of The Proud boys and the bugaloo boys America
There’s going to be more of this here’s all the proud boys guys this country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people the fear that they’re taking our jobs they’re taking our resources they’re taking our women this is white Fe [Applause] [Applause] I [Applause] greetings and happy Founders Day to my brothers of alpha alpha Fraternity Incorporated I’m brother Mark Tillman and I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving our fraternity as the 34th General president today we celebrate 117 years of existence founded on the campus of Cornell University we remember and
Honor our seven Founders the Jews of this fraternity they are The Architects of Alpha’s ideals aims and Mission remember to support and defend our right to vote remember to promote academic excellence and defend the right for equal education and remember to serve and advocate for our communities to ensure
Equal opportunity for all happy Founders Day my brothers enjoy this day all right folks introducing our Allstar Alpha panel Dr Mustafa Santiago Ali former senior advisor for environmental justice for the EPA uh he joins us from Dubai uh I assume that’s why he don’t have his black and gold on so you know
He went out there got he got this peach and cream on uh we got we got Dr oh yeah I was going to say something we got Dr Larry Walker assistant professor University of Central Florida uh glad to see you in the black and gold Doc and of
Course Dr Greg car Department of African-American studies how University out of DC and so glad to have all three of my Alpha Brothers here uh I want to I want to start uh with uh you uh Greg we you heard the mayor there and and here’s the the thing that I’ve consistently
Said to people the region Atlanta is the city that it is is because they had mayor Jackson as mayor Alpha followed by Andrew Young as mayor Alpha followed by Ma Jackson followed by Bill Campbell followed by Shirley Franklin uh followed by cassim Reed uh followed by uh kha Lance bottoms
Followed by uh right now uh he he go by mayor Andre uh you had black Mir after black mayor Chicago had Harold Washington and then it was 20 plus years uh more than 20 years before uh a uh a a black well actually longer than that before a black mayor was elected in
Terms of Lori Lightfoot and then now you’ve seen Brandon Johnson so they’ve now had backto back black Mayors Lee Brown was the first black mayor of Houston then you had a couple of others and then you had Sylvester Turner uh and what I keep saying is we’re talking about black advancement is critically
Important to have that continuation in order to uh continue the work it doesn’t get done just in one term and so that’s why when we talk about voting black voters could make the difference in Houston if they actually turn out in large numbers for congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee over state Senator John
Whitmire absolutely um refresh my memory uh brother Roland um Harold Washington what fraternity was he Harold Washington actually I think he was a sigma was he okay I know you saw was I mean I know I was trying to remember I guess we couldn’t get everybody in he yeah yeah
Harold Washington was a sigma uh and then Eugene sawer uh who who came after him on a temporary basis Eugene s he uh he he was an alpha he was an alpha that’s right okay thank you brother and and the head of the Cook County uh the Cook County Board of Commissioners uh
John Stroger Alpha brother yes sir yes sir well you know it’s interesting Roland we know this you you’ve taught us this history over and over again there are limits to political power when resources have been deprived people get resources deprived uh we certainly see class tensions to this day in Atlanta
The stop cop City movement that’s on Andre’s watch the the class kind of cand which is that emerged even in the manor Jackson administration but that’s an issue that is related but distinct we have to have political power first to then begin to turn internally and solve these challenges and what we’re seeing
Here uh is that yes there’s a robust black upper class and middle class and all these black cities even as the black poor along with the rest of the poor are suffering but what we have here in Houston is probably a preview to what we’re going to see around the country
What we always seen when Black Folk after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as you always talk about began to uh elect black power put black people into elective office that first wave of black politicians came in with a mandate to create the type of Equitable Society for
Everyone that would of course benefit us you see Harold Washington’s early plans you see mayor Jackson’s early plans and what those white boys did I’m not talking about the poor whites initially because these are in many ways multi-racial coalition certainly in Chicago the idea of the Rainbow
Coalition as we know came from the Black Panthers the the the white folk in North Chicago the hillbilly movement the so-called uh the the uh the the young Lords movement in Chicago there was a multi-racial coalition that put Harold Washington in office but what did the rich white boys do the business owners
And folk like that they began to try to withdraw resources from the poity either moving to the suburbs or trying to maintain control of the banks we saw the same thing happen here in Washington DC with our brother another Alpha brother Mariam Barry and so black politicians find themselves hamstrung when resources
Are being starved now this white nationalist in in Houston Herman his his whole technique is the same technique they following out with throughout Texas we’re going to starve y’all of resources and then the dog whistles that he puts in is basically like if you bring me I’m
Going to talk to my white friends and these business owners and we gonna put some more money back in this city it’s an old Playbook but now that Texas finally is majority nonwhite that white people make up the largest minority group in the state of Texas what’s going
On in Houston is a preview to the Playbook they’re going to run until they are finally rested power of across the country this is what Sylvester Turner this is what CA Jackson Lee and everyone else is facing and we’ve seen it before in all these cities that you mentioned
Um what what Greg laid out there Mustafa I think is really important and I’m just going to say what’s happening here in Houston people need to understand Houston is the largest Houston and Harris County the largest city largest county in the state Republicans in Austin have been doing all they can to
Stifle Houston because it is gone blue well guess what Democrats control the Harris Harris County uh commissioner Court youa Latina who is uh the chair of the Harris County Commissioners here you have Houston you have a black mayor uh you got folks down there white Republicans they like we got to take
Back something in this city I saw one poll that showed 88% of Republicans in Houston were supporting state Senator John Whitmire who’s actually a Democrat uh and so uh I I when I laid out my book White fear how the Browning of America is making white folks lose their minds
This is about again power and then who Wills power and what I keep saying over and over and over again I’m going keep saying it between now and next year’s election and and on to black people if we are not properly leveraging our vote to the maximum capacity then what we’re
Doing is we’re losing the opportunity to hold power wield power and drive change to our communities yeah and we understand that power uh is correlated with making that positive change that you referenced inside of our communities whether it is around education or housing or job opportunities the list goes on and on
And Republicans there have made a uh you know a decision that um you know the other candidate is actually the person whom will probably help them to hold on to that power but we should unpack this you know you need there in Houston a candidate who actually understands how
The federal process works where are those resources in the federal system how do you navigate that and that’s why when you have the opportunity to have someone like Sheila Jackson Le excuse me congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee you know I work right down the hall from her
I’ve spent time inside of her uh office and uh understood the Dynamics that she played out to make sure that positive things began to happen for our community so you know if we want to make sure uh that our communities are healthy and are thriving and have the resources that are
Necessary then you have to have that individual and of course that’s tied to your vote uh to make sure that you have someone who’s in office who not just sees you but understands the Dynamics that are going on inside of your communities uh Larry R I think that you know this
Conversation we’re having right now you just talked to you know brother mayor Turner is really important and this is Founders Day a voteless people hopeless people is voteless people right we talk about that you know as our major you know Focus one of our programs is Alpha
And so it’s going to be imperative folks to get out in a couple days from now and vote I think the statistic you highlighted in terms of 88% of Republicans uh uh you know are supporting a Democrat obviously is really concerning but I think once again
When you talk about you know brother car talked about the voting ranks Act of 65 and a no black black po political power and then you highlighted with Republicans steps they taking not only the state of Texas but other states throughout the United States where there are large metropolitan areas that have
Gone blue and efforts to undermine the political power and you see that Harris County what’s happening with the school district among other challenges but it’s going to be critically important for black folks to outperform some of the other uh groups in this in the area to make sure that you know we elect
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson leag and as you know was just highlighted I think her Federal experience obviously she was on Judiciary Committee uh and there a number of Connections in Capitol Hill certainly could be helpful in terms of bringing additional resources to the metropolitan area but once again this is
All hands on deck and as you highlighted the number of of of black Mayors to Chicago DC talking about hometown of Philadelphia Etc if you want to continue that tradition then once again we have to make sure folks get out and vote and make sure he put shage AC in office so
It’s going to be again the another day comes comes down to who actually votes election takes place on Saturday December 9th uh so folks uh absolutely let’s make it happen all right folks had to go to break uh when we come back Congressman Steven Horford cheer congression in Black Caucus Alfred
Brother out of Nevada we’ll talk about the 2024 election voting rights and of course the recent exposion of George Santos well hear from him also will talk to Congressman Emanuel cleever out of Kansas City uh about housing short shortage in this country all of that next right here on Rolland Martin
Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network don’t forget to support us in what we do folks uh you can join our Bina Funk fan club uh and so see your check and money orders the PO Box 57196 Washington DC 2000 37- 0196 cash app dollar sign RM unfiltered PayPal R Martin unfiltered
Veno is RM unfiltered zo rolling at rolls martin.com randr Martin on filter.com we’ll be right back Grow your business or career with grow with Google’s wide range of online courses digital training and tools gain in demand job skills with flexible online training programs designed to put you on the FastTrack to jobs in high growth Fields no experience is necessary learn at your own pace complete C the
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Jobs happy Founders Day to the men of alpha F Alpha seven men came together making the commitment to embody The Motto first of all Servants of all we shall transcend all you know while we’ve never fully lived up to our promise of of our nation we’ve never fully walked
Away from it either because of you and Alpha men like you like Dr King j a stard marshall my good friend Ambassador Andy young thank you all for the history you’ve made and history you continue to make God bless you all keep at it guys keep at It all right folks welcome back uh Greg were you surprised by that video Greg I couldn’t stop laughing man you know what it was Roland I saw brother West Moore give his thing today on the FR but Joe Biden just cracks me up man no but you know you you know he’s
Actually done a video for every D9 Founders Day no question hey look Joe B know what side his bread is buted on man it just cracks me up hear why would I mean but but but I’m tell you this here I don’t recall Obama doing greetings for
Every fist day well I’m so I so I hey I give it to Biden staff no I I I definitely give it see that that’s called good Staffing that’s called that’s see I I love I love all the people sitting there Co oh uh he out
Here this what cracks me up I I I I’m going to get to Conor Steven horse for a minute but but this what cracks me up these people going oh see that’s right here begging for the vote see this this is where I’m now confused so if we get ignored we pissed
Right but then if somebody does something like this the other fol go oh uh now you sitting here begging that that’s actually smart politics smart politics is that’s what you do um when you are you know again looking out for a group Republicans uh do that for
Evangelicals they do it for other groups so I it just kills me when you get people who out there it’s sort like damn if you do damn if you don’t no question and and yeah and Obama you know the Obamas are outliers first of all I doubt
That Barack Obama was invited to a smoker or anything else when he was in undergraded ocidental or even when he crossed the continent and as far as Michelle Obama go is it apocryphal have y’all heard the same story I heard that uh once it was clear that she could only
Join one Sor she just turned down all the offers like in other words I did I could maybe I could be honor member of all of them so clearly y’all don’t know how this works we’re all together it’s the divine nine but you got to pick so maybe the Obama but you’re absolutely
Right that’s smart politics and we know as you know better than all of us just how filthy the White House is with members of alpha 5 Alpha and the Divine n so they wern’t going to let him make no mistakes brother no question absolutely absolutely you know Larry you
Know you know you know on that point this is one of the reasons why you have diverse staffs this is one of the what people don’t realize what people don’t realize presidents Governors Mayors County Commissioners State reps state senators when you go to a Wars programs what do you open up you’ll see
A letter there from elected official when you go you’ll see videos that this happens for all groups and so we should we should want elected officials especially those that depend on our votes uh honoring our organizations absolutely and listen he wouldn’t get elected without the D9 his
VP is a me member of the D9 so it’s it’s it will be a fumble if the White House didn’t and I know theega SciFi had their found this day a few weeks ago and I saw the video and you’re right Rong he’s done the videos for everyone it is smart
Politics because as we well aware we can talk about Dr King and brother Marshall Etc in terms of alpha the impact Alpha men have had on this country the boys Etc but it it will be uncons not to honor particularly obviously the first but honor all D9 organizations in terms
Of giving them a shout out on Founders days it takes a few few minutes to film each video but it’s really important because listen in election next year he’s going to leave every single vote of every D9 member not only that we talked about all our work for voter
Registration and Alam men always in the front L line and getting people registered vote undergraduate and graduate chapters so he’s going to need every single vote next year so it’s critically important that he gave a shout out like I said to the first in the finest of course I I just can’t
Stand the folk who whine Mustafa or who say oh he pandering first of all Let Me Be Real Clear Politics is pandering you literally go to people begging them for their vote it ain’t no different to somebody outside the store going you got any spare change you got any change that’s what politicians
Do it’s true it is what they do but you know we need to also uh view this from a different direction because I’ve been in the seats of prepping senior officials for the creation of videos and engagement with uh other organizations so when you have uh whether it’s a
President or vice president or an administrator uh of an agency uh yes you’re shooting that video for a few moments but they’re also finally beginning to have some education around uh the creativity and actually all the amazingness that is associated with us that they may not have known and then
They will also swing back around when you’re on the road with them and they’ll say or ask questions uh about an organization and the leaders inside of that so when he hears names like Dr King or Thor Good Marshall or a number of others and they’re starting to make some
Decisions about who’s going to get invited to something or where resources need to go or who has the expertise in that space they will think about Alpha F Alpha um so there’s a number of benefits that come from having those individuals both in that moment and then in additional times
Afterwards uh absolutely absolutely uh uh speaking of that um Mustafa you’re there uh in Dubai uh vice president KLA Harris uh was was was there uh as well uh tell folks what has happened happening there uh that uh the attention of the world is on that region well cop
28 is happening here in Dubai uh it’s an incredibly important set of conversations that are going on uh countries uh all across our planet are making decisions about the sets of Investments and actions that they’ll do to address the climate crisis and for our folks it’s incredibly important to
Be a part of this and to pay attention to what’s going on because our communities get hit first and worse whether it’s from floods or or hurricanes uh these heat waves that actually disproportionately kill black folks at twice the rate of white folks so when people are talking about uh how
Resources are going to be developed where resources are going to go and how we’re going to break our addiction to fossil fuels there is a direct public health impact that’s happening but there’s also an economic uh impact uh for our folks uh we know many of our
Folks work Outdoors so when we have these extreme weather events it makes it difficult um for us to be able to work it makes kids more difficult for them to be able to make it to school but there’s also literally billions upon billions of dollars for economic opportunities and
We need to be positioning ourselves to make sure that we’re getting our fair share so one we get to protect our communities and we can also help to address the wealth Gap by getting engaged in this new clean economy you know one of the things uh Larry that uh
And like I said as I said the vice president uh was there I get a kick out of this uh when you know when you have folks like Chris Christie uh but you all got some black people do what a vice president we ain’t never seen the vice president well the
Reality is she was there representing the United States uh at this conference uh spoke at this uh conference uh as well uh and so you know matter of fact here are just some of the some of the photos if you and like this thing ain’t really hard you can actually follow VP
Uh on Instagram uh and and again this is her meeting with leaders of Egypt the UAE of Jordan the Amir of cutter and look a lot of things are being talked about there including what’s happening with uh between Israel uh and Gaza uh and and again this is this this is the
Stuff that I’ll dare say not sexy uh but this is what vice presidents do I had some dude send me an email telling me use all of your influence to get to KLA Harris to tell her to step down from the ticket I said dude she ain’t going
Nowhere I’m like what the hell y’all talking about I’m like she ain’t going nowhere I mean it did just this it just it it amazes me the sheer Insanity of people uh who who go man we don’t hear from her we don’t see her she’s the number two you typically hear more from
The number one and not the number two and you know what interesting thing about this conversation R we really need to focus on Civics I’m always surprised not only social media but this General conversation people having her confused about the role of the president VP play
But I think a lot of this has to do with race and gender and that’s why you see a lot of this unnecessary criticism Roland you talked about the the VP recently being Dubai she made some very what I would describe Nuance convers uh comments about the conflict in Israel
That you hadn’t heard previously from the administration so when people are making you know like you said highlighting that you know where she is what is what is she doing if they missed a very important speech that she just gave recently but folks need to really open their eyes and they really ask
Themselves why they so critical of the VP she’s everywhere right so she you talk about her being in bu traveling abroad or whether she’s you know talking about you know making sure you support the Biden Harris Administration in 2024 going to HBCU and other minority serving institutions throughout the United
States but listen you’re the when you’re president of the United States you’re the one who is dictating what the agenda is the VP is only going to do but so much based on what the White House and Senior leaders in the bid Administration want the VP to do so people really need
To come off of some of the unnecessary criticism and like I said they really need to take a look at some of their um biases based on race and gender but she’s done a great job and for people saying she they she come off the ticket that’s ridiculous Biden went have won a
Couple years ago let’s talk about the number how black women you know support not only Democratic party but came out and supported uh President Biden and will also do that next year so the idea of saying suggesting somehow she won’t be on the ticket next year that would
That would equal a trump presidency GRE yeah I I couldn’t agree more with Larry and and I’m glad you there brother Mustafa um we saw those pictures as you flashed it there with the King of Jordan um also with CCE from Egypt you best believe one thing for sure set aside
Anthony blinkin set aside Joe Biden KLA Harris is in the UAE which means those conversations weren’t just about climate change we heard Lloyd Austin secretary uh of the um the defense talk about the fact that what Israel is doing right now is pushing it closer to having a Perpetual War creating another
Generation of folk that will attack Israel from the people who are losing family members as we speak uh climate change and that are related the idea that you can drive people from one part of where they live to another part and now Egypt’s going to bomb in uh in the
Southern part of Gaza well that’s a precursor and the way I understand it Mustafa as you’ve been there you probably been you’ve been hearing this in real time brother you know those of us not there monitoring the conversations and one of the things been raised is the fact that climate change
You see a precursor of it with displacement the people in the global South who going to be flooded out are going to have these extreme weather events they’re going to be looking for some place to go and those places are going to look more and more like the
Places where the people with the resources that they’ve deprived them of Live And that’s going to happen here in the United States as well and you better believe that KLA Harris is there not just having conversations about climate change which is the existential threat to our existence as species on this
Planet but she’s also talking foreign policy so if you think that she she ain’t talking to CCE about look we got to we got to get this thing under control in this region where these folks are losing their lives then then people are being incredibly naive so it’s
Extremely important for the top official in the United States government to be in that conversation in the way she’s in those conversations right now no doubt about it all right folks hold tight one second we come back we hear from talk to congress with step Horford uh chair of
The Congressional Black Caucus about the drama in the house and really his message for black men who either considering voting for Trump or even sitting the election out that is Dex on the special edition of roller Bart unfiltered on this Alpha Founders Day right here on the Blackstar Network
Next on the black table with me Greg Carr there’s a lot of talk about the inevitability of another civil war in this country but on our next show we’ll talk to a noted author and Scholar who says we’re actually in the middle of one right now in fact Steve Phillips says
The first one that started back in 1861 well it never ends people carrying the Confederate flag wearing sweatshirts saying MAA Civil War January 16 2021 stormed the US capital hunted down the country’s elected official built a Gallows for the vice president of the United States as and to block the
Peaceful transfer of power within this country on the next black table here on the Blackstar Network I’m Mark moral I was initiated in Alpha Al for Fraternity th chapter on April 23rd 1977 and I want to say to all the brothers happy Founders Day on this founders day we should remember our Founders those courageous seven Jewels those pioneering young black men who on the campus of
Cornell University created Alpha F Alpha fraternity manly Deeds scholarship and Love For All Mankind continues to guide us happy birthday Alpha F Alpha fraternity and may our work go on our cause endure and the dream continue to live all right folks welcome back uh Congress it’s a it’s a mess in the house
Where Republicans are in charge uh really no real leadership there at all uh so I got a chance early to talk to Congressman Steven Horford about that uh and we also talked about his message to black men who are looking to vote for Trump or sit this election out here’s our
Conversation Congressman Stephen hor we’re glad to have you here frat happy Founders Day happy Founders Day frat well first and foremost uh so much attention lately has been on George Santos he’s been expelled Republican the fight over their speaker and what the hell is even going on in the house
Any work getting done on behalf of the American people this has been the least uh productive Congress uh led by Maga Republicans you know even since uh the new speaker C came in he’s done nothing to advance the agenda that Americans families really care about lowering cost making our community safer creating
Better paying jobs creating economic prosperity and wealth particularly in black and brown communities uh so you know I’m proud of the leadership of leader Jeff uh and the unity of house Democrats uh this week in fact we will be um bringing forward through the Congressional Black Caucus a discharge
Petition on the Voting Rights Act as you know that this is the first time in 40 years Republicans have not worked with us uh to reauthorize the Voting Rights act and with all of the assaults on our democracy and the right to vote we know that that is one of the most fundamental
Cornerstones of our democracy and something that our founders of alpha F Alpha fraternity uh hold dear talk about what what they have not done uh in the pre in the battle over uh the budget um they were pushing uh a number of different things that were going to have
Uh a negative impact on black people they were trying to literally get rid of uh AIDS funding that targets black communities they were trying to get rid of 80% uh of the funds uh going to women and children when it comes to uh a food they want to Target uh you know uh
Pelant areas as well I mean I mean uh my goodness I try to walk people through all the time to get them to understand Civics 101 uh and that is uh there are fundamental things that that are in that black people are impacted by Health as
Well that are absolutely in danger if uh a magga republican agenda uh moves forward in the house the Senate and if they win the White House in 2024 well you laid out uh some of the most critical issues and look and you know I represent Las Vegas Nevada’s fourth congressional district my
Constituents care deeply about their livelihood uh their ability to make a living uh the ability to um afford a home uh to be able to put their kids through school and to make sure that we can retire in dignity um under Maga Republicans their focus is to uh
Eliminate or defund or weaken Social Security and Medicare for seniors uh their agenda is to cut uh access to college affordability by making it harder for particularly first generation students to pursue education um and deny access to education through Extreme Measures like eliminating uh uh access through affirmative action on our
College and university campuses but on top of that Roland it’s even more egregious the very people who are standing in the way of our Economic Opportunity are trying to take away tools that help us get that opportunity like diversity equity and inclusion in the workplace the lawsuits against the
Fearless fund a venture capital fund that was started by two black women entrepreneurs to to do what provide funding to other black women entrepreneurs so these are the attacks that uh the other side is um using against our opportunity but we as a Congressional Black Caucus and and house
Democrats largely are working to hold the line against these attacks and more importantly than that cast an a bolder vision for what we need to be doing in the next four years of a Biden Harris Administration and the work that Democrats in Congress need to do to make
Sure that that is uh made possible you talk about that economic peace and one of the things that I again trying to connect the dots when you talk about the Voting Rights Act uh when you talk about representation that has a in direct impact on resources coming back uh to
The black community when you look at uh Republicans doing all they could to stop uh a a congressional seat uh in Alabama in Louisiana what’s happening right now in Georgia what’s happening in Florida so they want to stop the advancement of black power and if you then look at uh
The affirmative action ruling by the Supreme Court want to stop that advancement which is and then this is where I then say again to our audience you can’t act like the presidency in the Senate doesn’t matter because that’s who confirms judges uh and so uh I think
Think so many people are are frustrated they say uh that you know things are are not as well as they should be uh but I simply argue that we have to we have to do lots more of education so people really understand that who’s in power in
DC has a direct relationship the type of benefit that comes back to our communities well look Roland you know and it’s why your uh black media platform and the work that you do to put out correct information accurate information information that is compelling and that you know challenges
All of us including uh those in elected office uh to make sure that this information the accurate information is getting out to our constituents look I I am not under no false pretense that we have challenges before us as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus we now have 60 members collectively we
Represent 120 million Americans across the country about 20 million black Americans we understand that when we uplift the black community we uplift everyone and we understand when the black community is hurting um that is an indication that other communities are are also falling behind and so that is
Why we are pushing um to Center the people not the politics not a person in one particular office but to Center the people in the policy and to ensure that the people understand that they have the power to force elected officials at the local state and yes at the for federal
Level to do what’s necessary to move us forward and at this moment that means creating better paying jobs it means creating wealth and opportunity in the black community like everywhere else and in order to do that we have to have support for small businesses for entrepreneurs uh we have to make sure
That the access to capital for small businesses is real and is made available in in a consistent way that opportunities to Contracting uh is made more accessible and even for black media companies like your that yours that you are at the table uh and that you’re helping to communicate this message
Directly to the people because there’s no better resource uh than us to communicate that uh message and to put people over politics in doing that you were you you were talking about uh again economics um and um and the creation of opportunities uh and and one of the
Things that uh the other day vice president Kam har as she posted something on social media talking about the administration’s commitment to expanding opportunities for black and other minority uh businesses uh how has the CDC been monitoring that and how has that been going so we just had the SBA
Administrator in a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus within the last two weeks uh during the annual legislative conference uh in September I led a press conference with her since 2019 we have worked with the SBA to double the number of loans approved by the SBA to Black own businesses um and
Now there’s still more work to be done but the fact that we’ve been able to measure that progress and doubled the amount of SBA back loans which is access to Capital One of the biggest barriers that small business blackowned small businesses talk about we are working now with the minority business development
Agency and our fraternity brother under secretary Cravens uh who is the first permanently authorized under secretary to oversee the minority Business Development agency which provides uh grants and resources to communities like mine to actually connect to small businesses in our communities help them learn how to do Contracting uh put bids
Together win bids service those contracts and again U make sure that they um are able to connect to all the resources through the federal government we are working right now with the black economic Alliance and the Urban League and other organizations to put forward a more aggressive agenda on black economic
Mobility and wealth as you know Roland uh today black people um are not achieving our full parity in our population to the amount of consumer spending that we account for and if we just closed the wealth divide in this country for Black America we would see
About a trillion a trillion and a half dollars of increased e economic activity every single year that would help create 600,000 small businesses it would move 30 million black people in the middle class it would save three million black lives every year because when you improve the economic conditions of Black
America you improve their health outcomes as well so we’re very intentional about what we’re doing we cannot do this work alone and what I do want to underscore is it’s the people that will push us to advance the policies that will improve the lives of
All of us and I’m encouraging us on this Founders Day for Alpha F Alpha that we honor uh the mission of the work and that is to make sure that that we Center the people last question for you what do you say to black men out there uh who uh
Who will say um Biden is awful Harris is awful I’m voting for Trump uh that’s the that’s the best way forward uh for Black America what do you say specifically to those black men look Donald Trump asked uh Black America in his last election
And uh he said what do you have to lose Black America and then when he was running against Hillary Clinton and then he got into office he appointed an extreme uh uh uh three justices to the US Supreme Court and since then the Supreme Court has answered the question
For Black America what do we have to lose we have to lose our very existence as black people not only did they take take away uh black people’s rights to make Health Care decisions about their own body women black women not only did they remove a tool through affirmative
Action to help young black people pursue education um to college they also eroded uh opportunities for for voting and fair access and so what I say is um look I feel you um the reason I’m in uh public service and and and elected Services because I’m working to try to make
Things better and we have more work to do the the administration that is in place now the Biden Harris Administration has worked with the Congressional Black Caucus based on the policies that that the people told us they wanted we passed the by partisan infrastructure investment Bill we improved access uh for safer communities
And have the most historic commitment on uh antiviolence funding including Community violence intervention we are investing in bringing manufacturing jobs back to America through the chips and science Bill uh and we are investing in in addressing environmental Injustice through the inflation reduction Act and the climate Provisions that are being
Invested now we have to make sure that Black America and the rest of America feels those Investments through jobs through business opportunities and to ensure direct investment in our community so my message to black men is let’s be counted we have always helped to save our democracy in times past and
This will be no exception Donald Trump asked us what we had to lose we’re not going to allow him to determine that for us we will determine for ourselves Congress from Steven Horford uh always glad to have you certainly appreciated it bro enjoy founders day happy Founders
Day I know we’re going to have a picture on the steps at the Capitol uh with some of the members and staff and interns uh but happy Founders Day uh to the men of alpha alpha Fraternity Incorporated love you uh thank you for everything that you
Do not only you Roland but the brothers all across the country all right thanks a buch and uh the photo that uh he was talking about uh they did uh take that photo give me one second one second hopefully I can uh pull it up for you to actually
See uh this is uh the photo right here y’all have it on video playback go to the better photo um so uh that’s the photo there uh CBC members Capitol Hill uh staffers and workers as well so good to see all the brothers who are doing
The work going to a break we come back Congressman Emanuel C I chatt with him as well we talked about housing in America so many people really do not have an understanding of why rents have been going up we’re going to break it down for you that is next right
Here on Roland Martin unfiltered the Black Star Network on the7th anniversary of the founding of alpha VI Alpha Fraternity Incorporated at Cornell University first of all service of all we shall transcend all we’ll be right back hi I’m D Barnes and next on the frequency have you ever heard of
Pinkster if not you aren’t alone it’s an African-American holiday that predates juneth by 100 years this week we’re talking with my special guest the founder and CEO of trans art and cultural services Greer Smith to talk about pinkster and why it’s so important those exhibitions really got the most uh
Play because um we don’t know about this other people have been telling our stories for so long when we had the opportunity to find people that tell our stories it’s it it’s an easy sell a fascinating conversation about Black Culture on the frequency with me D Barnes right here on the Blackstar
Network good morning frat this Governor Westmore and I want to wish you a very happy Founders Day to all of my fellow fraternity Brothers of the midatlantic association of the great Alpha F Alpha also known in this chapter as the mighty mighty mighty mighty mighty mighty Mighty Mac I’m proud to walk alongside
Brothers who represent this commitment such as M president brother Raymond Hawkins Jr brother Rodney aard brother Brandon Tilman and my guy brother Lamont Riley alpha alpha has long LED the fight for freedom and Justice in this country our aims manly Deeds scholarship and Love For All Mankind have not only
Defined our work but have shaped some of the most influential leaders of the last century I intend for my work to follow in the tradition of service advocacy and aiding Humanity’s downtrodden May the principles set forth by our beloved Jewels continue to guide and inspire us
All I want to personally thank you the brothers of the Mighty Mac for your leadership and service in honoring our Jewels our ritual and the banner of alpha alpha let us continue to hold the light High here’s to the Legacy that you have built and to the positive impact
That you make in our communities first of all Servants of all we shall transcend all happy Founders Day AI 06 housing is one of the big issues people have said uh they’re having a tough time with during this economy Congressman Emanuel cleever sits on the financial services committee and we
Talked about that uh in our discussion a little bit earlier Congress MC C glad to have you here so here’s what I find to be just just so interesting uh Republicans now control the house and I think more time has literally been spent on them desperately trying to find some information about
Hunter Biden then literally any public policy that can impact the American people what what what I mean what in the hell is going on uh in the house well first of all it’s important for me to say that Donald Trump asked uh former speaker Uh Kevin McCarthy if he would
Undo his uh impeachment or both of them uh I’m not sure how you can undo an impeachment but uh McCarthy couldn’t do it even if he tried and and I don’t think he even attempted to do it and so uh he didn’t do it so uh he and he had
Donald Trump had a falling out so I believe I don’t have any evidence to go with this but I I I feel very confident comfortable in saying this and not fearing uh you know anybody coming up with anything different that uh Donald Trump asked uh speaker Johnson if he
Would uh go after Biden and uh I think he’s going to do that even though there’s been no evidence of him of him doing anything wrong uh his son is not in the administration he’s not uh associated with anything in the administration he was not working in the
White house uh and somehow there there’s this continuing uh obsession with Hunter Biden uh and so I I think all of this is connected we we right now we don’t have aid for the Ukraine we don’t have aid for Israel uh and we don’t have any humanitarian aid for the
Palestinians uh nor do do we uh uh have any uh way in which we can concentrate on doing something at the border that uh the Republicans say they are very much interested in and they’re always talking about impeaching uh uh marus mayus uh the Secretary of Homeland
Security uh so it’s it’s a messed up deal it it’s really and I hope the American people get a glimpse of this and and and and raise the question question that you just raised which is what what what are you about I mean what what is your agenda what do you want to
Do and I I don’t think they can answer that question no I don’t think they can answer that question uh and I I look at uh I look at the child tax credit I look at many of the safety net um programs were put in place during covid a lot of
Those are expiring and so when you look at uh what is happening there are people who are saying that they think the economy is not doing do as well as it should a lot of that has to do with a lot of those expiring programs in Congress that was providing benefits to
Many needy Americans yeah especially the children’s tax credit uh you know that we were we were taking uh thousands and thousands of uh children and and and consequently families out of poverty with the child tax credit uh the speaker seems to have no interest in it uh I
Don’t think anybody on the Republican side has done anything or said anything that would cause us to believe they can do it now um you know we don’t have we haven’t we we have not passed as I mentioned earlier the supplemental uh legislation that we desperately need uh
But we we’re gonna end up in a spot again where we were a few uh weeks ago and that is uh you know are we gonna fund the government or not and I I just think it’s right now an ugly situation that the American public ought to be furious about because they
Are the ones who are going to get get hurt uh you know there’s there’re still over majoring in minors and uh the the the the world is happening and they they are still living back in another era uh an era going by and at the expense of
The American people is sad one of the areas that I’m I I’m hearing lots of people complaining about uh deals with uh affordable housing and what we see is private Equity is owning a whole lot of the housing stock uh in this country uh we are seeing that
The landlords are jacking up rent left and right because the demand is very high uh and and and you uh have called on Congress to really uh lead a bipartisan effort to confront affordable housing in the country explain uh what it is you want to see Congress do to help uh Americans especially
African-Americans when it comes to housing uh I’m I’m glad you you brought brought this up uh housing is always in the top five of uh of the issues facing America that that they want address uh always in in the top five of whatever we need what what what the country needs uh
I can say had we built have we uh uh approved Bill back better uh we would have had uh over $400 billion dollars with a B that we would we were going to be able to deal with some of these problems including uh you know demolishing some
Of the uh housing that exists uh even in New York City and around the uh the country I mean Cy homes for example that you you and I both familiar with um and and many of those those those uh buildings are 75 uh years old or or or
Or more and uh we lost that by two votes Bill back better but uh we have to do this uh the housing another way number one municipalities are going to have have to uh uh put inact uh city ordinances that will prevent uh these absentee uh uh landlords and these uh
Big corporations from coming into urban core uh buying up land and then building building Shanty housing uh on that land and then charging uh uh you know some outlandish uh rents uh and that’s happening all over the country uh the the gentrification has in some way stopped so
That excuse me so that people can buy up the land but it’s a dangerous dangerous thing that’s going on excuse me uh I do think that we have legislation that if we if we could get it to the floor would solve some of the problems and some of the problems have been
Solved uh in another way with uh tax with with credits uh that Banks can use and on that particular point there and I’ve really spent a lot of time trying to walk people through uh what happened and that is uh since the 1930s we built the fewest number of homes between 2010 and
2020 and then now from 20 20 20 to present day uh we’re still about 4 million under what where we need to be and when I explain that to people I’m like it’s hard people to understand so when they say well um you know Biden’s
To blame for this Biden is to blame uh for for for the housing crisis not realizing that it was the home forclosure crisis in 2008 that led to the lack of building and now 13 years later 15 years later is caught up with us because we didn’t build enough during
Those 10 years and now haven’t built enough in the last three years and so we’re under about four million or so homes where we should be that’s why we’re having this crisis absolutely I’m so glad you you mentioned that I’m I’m uh I was on the committee Financial
Services committee used to be called the Banking Committee when all this went down and and I found out uh in my own congressional district that people didn’t know what happened they just said well the banks went bust well that that’s not quite what happened uh what
Happened was uh uh the people were were securitizing uh the mortgages that were worthless uh in the urban core right and then they were uh securitizing them and selling them on the markets and one day people woke up and and they they held all of these uh mortgages that were
Worthless and and so the Housing Industry collapsed uh pretty much and we were losing uh at one point uh nationally about a thousand uh homes home foreclosures a day and then it went up to uh about four 4,000 I think a week was what what we were doing ultimately
Uh we were losing these housing and many of them have not have never come back online uh because uh people were losing jobs and and losing homes and so they have to start over well if you have to start over you there’s one thing that’s
Going to start over with you and that is your credit score uh and so people who had uh nice paying jobs and who had a home uh and the credit score was you know uh was high enough to to purchase a home they were they were locked out uh I
Don’t think people realize the devastation of the 2008 uh economic collapse and uh we ended up black and brown people ended up being hurt the most we would during our hearing we would bring in uh leaders of of of the Urban League for example uh we we had
The some of the National Housing Programs would come in and tell us exactly what’s happening we have something that was approved in 1977 called the uh uh Comm uh Congressional uh uh Community uh reinvestment act uh CRA and and what it does and everybody needs to
Know this your viewers need to know this uh community reinvestment Act was done in 1977 uh to force Banks uh who were trying to leave the urban core uh and those who had left their Urban core they didn’t want to make loans to the black and brown people uh so uh Congress in
Its wisdom in 1977 passed What’s called the community reinvestment act which means that uh Banks if they want to get banks have to have to have a certain number of CRA scores uh meaning that they had invested in in in uh in housing uh not housing but they they
Have to invest in something and so uh when I became chair of the community of the housing committee subcommittee what we did is we started working on trying to modernize CRA so that Banks who who need the credit in order for them to stay in business they need they need to
Show that they’ve invested in the urban core uh Community reinvestment acts and and you listen to to make sure that that it’s happening in their communities with the banks uh those Banks were getting credit that they need to stay in business and so what what we
Just did is we we worked with the the Federal Reserve we’ve work with uh um FDIC uh the uh OCC obviously currency um and what what we what we’ve done is uh expanded what what can what these Banks can get uh credit for and it’s in housing so and that’s just has
Been approved in the last 60 days so uh we hope that in local communities they will start raising the issue about the community reinvestment act uh uh the office of the control of the currency the FDIC uh the Federal Reserve they all participated in in in uh developing
These new uh components that would give Banks credits that they have to have they have to have I don’t care who they are they have to have CRA and now that CRA credit can be used uh for housing and we given them a lot of flexibility
To do that now a lot of those Banks and and this where where I think black and brown people get tricked uh people they say the law says you have to investment invest in the urban core so what they would do is buy tickets to their to the
Uh NAACP dinner uh what they would do is spend some money on a parade and what happened is they were using that as their CRA what they have to have we’re saying no no we want this going into the greatest need in the in the in the Urban Court right which is
Housing that’s right and again for people who who don’t get it this is not covering for anybody president of the United States the United States doesn’t build homes that’s right private developers build homes but when you look at the tax credits that are critically important to build homes that plays a
Role in it uh and again folks just have to understand that we literally are in a 13-year hole because we didn’t build enough homes and the last time I we show the chart on the show The last time we built that that the fewest number of
Homes uh between 2010 2020 was in the 1930s geez well I wasn’t familiar with that statistic but it doesn’t surprise me uh because everybody needs a home everybody and so uh we we had a lot of people who lost those homes and and and black and and brown families that’s
Usually the the the greatest investment they make in a lifetime and it’s also the the the the way we create wealth uh uh because uh you know many of the African-Americans would uh pass their property onto their uh their progyny and uh and and so they end up with a home
That they already own and uh we we got hurt badly because even after the uh covid crisis ended right we had we had difficulty get buying supplies to to do the building so so Congressman here’s the so here’s I I this is what I so 1920
To 1929 we built 4.16 million homes 30 to 39 2.67 40 to 40 to 49 4.79 then was 10.08 9.49 12.37 12.14 12.49 14.56% the 2019 6.9 million homes built that was the lowest number since uh 1940 to 49 so we were we built 8 million fewer homes from the previous decade that’s
Why we’re in the hole we’re in right now and that’s why these tax credits this bill that you’re talking about needs to house needs to pass it because we build more homes that now decreases increases the stock and then the demand that that’s now going to cause those rents to
Stabilize because with so few homes they could just keep jacking them up and folks got no choice but to pay him yeah no choice yep uh because we I mean we we’re not gonna uh have a a lot of options economically uh because you f the further you move away from downtown
The greater the cost and we we have gotten bludgeoned because the supply lines uh were clogged and uh I have a a a friend who’s building homes in Kansas City uh and what started out before co uh to have been homes that that uh someone could buy at $200,000 and we’re
Talking about the Midwest not like Washington where it’s a lot more expensive yeah but now uh those uh uh those homes uh are costing $25,000 more for each one of them yeah again for the people who don’t know again since 20 6 home construction has decreased by 55%
Nationwide that is what you’re talking about yeah and and it’s look you know we want to leave our children something and in a home is is one of the best things we can leave them so uh if you if you think about it right now with the with
With what those numbers you just gave which are uh frightening uh we we’ve got a lot of work to do and and we all we can’t do it all here in uh in Washington now I’m going to certainly use some statistics I got from you but for for people in local
Communities they got to go out and and start demanding this yeah uh we you know my committee uh has met probably um twice uh in the last year and one of one of the top problems facing this country housing and the housing subcommitte has met twice I think that’s crazy that’s
Crazy Congressman first of all uh thanks for joining us happy Founders Day happy Founders Day we got we got we got Brothers all throughout the show we appreciate you joining us uh today thanks a lot all right good to be with you all right be
Well Larry I want to start with you I mean what I tried to lay out there and and again I get it people aren’t fully understanding these these these type of things but the reality is this here to understand the housing demand it can’t just be oh they’re jacking up you know
Interest rates but even with that interest rates were actually artificially low for way too long now I know somebody’s watching I saying oh man you you can afford these things after the housing crisis in 2008 in order for the economy to recover uh they brought those interest rates down we literally
Had damn near 0% interest rates from 2009 to last year I you don’t go that long with that uh in so uh the reality is if you don’t if you don’t keep up uh again go go back to the stat y’all this is the graphic I showed population growth has outpaced
Home construction for 20 years more demand fewer home housing stock is going to mean higher prices yeah you know so R it was really interesting the conversation you had and then the statistic that you highlighted about essentially Supply Supply and Dem man the congressman said he wasn’t
Familiar with it and that’s news to me but it makes a lot of sense in terms of some of the challenges like you said in terms of housing stock available but you know I think that you know this is a really important issue that first of all people need to understand as you
Highlighted here you can’t blame President Biden for everything that goes wrong and certainly this this housing crisis issue as you as you describe is something that began years ago and we didn’t do enough particularly at the federal level and I’m certainly assuming at state level also didn’t do enough to
Evance address this issue to make sure that individuals that Americans have somewhere to lay their head um when you add that you know the other economic challenges we’ve had since then including um issues relating the challenges relating economic impact that Co had on black and brown communities as
You described and was discussed you add all that together and while you know there are folks who don’t have access to housing that issue is double triple quadruple more problematic for folks of black and brown communities so the question is not only in term not particularly in the house obviously
Republicans control the house so have it when they’re talk about you know Americans and making sure that you know the American dream you don’t hear them talking about this particular topic and you probably won’t anyway um because they don’t care about the average American who’s sitting at you know talk
About at the dinner room table trying to figure out how what their next steps are but I think this is a critically important issue and I would like to hear the Biden Administration articulated the way you did that this is a long-term challenge it’s not strictly you know an issue with
Bionomics um to make it clear to Americans that you know the B Administration would like to do more about that but certainly needs cooperation from Republicans but you know once again this is this is a critical issue to make sure Americans have somewhere to lay their head and
Also speak to much larger issues not only in terms of the role of federal government but like you said private businesses in terms of um taking the resources they have equity and build some of the housing you know um Mustafa I’m sitting here here uh somebody in the
Chat said that the houses in my local area are going for 500 650,000 for a new home many folks can’t afford that that’s my point my point is this here y’all this is not hard this is real basic okay and okay I got a bottle of water now
There ain’t no advertisers so I’m going to cover them up so I got a bottle of water sitting right here all right if we are somewhere in it’s hot as hell outside and I got a bottle of ice cold water I literally can sell this bottle of water for
$20 that normally might be $4 and I guarantee you somebody who’s thirsty as hell they going to give me $20 for this bottle of water that’s the housing situation that we’re in and so when you have fewer homes to buy that means people who should be homeowners are renters well that means
That if they are renters and prices are being jacked up that’s squeezing out people who absolutely should be renters because prices are going up and that’s the problem that we have and in order for us to change this it’s literally going to have to be a massive housing
Bomb where we build let’s say this decade about 15 million homes the most by the way we’ve never built 15 million homes in a decade in the last 90 years but we would need to build 15 million homes in this decade in order to make up for what didn’t happen in the previous
Decade so I’m going to say yes and yes uh and but so what I mean by that is first of all you’re talking about the basics of supply and demand of how prices get squeezed and they go up it’s a basic economic principle if you will
But I think we also have to be very uh diligent about new housing stock that’s being developed so yes we need these new homes and a number of different locations but we also need to make sure that equable development is a part of that that’s a set of principles that
Really take into consideration a number of Dynamics uh that often place our communities in very dire straights so when we talk about 15 million new homes uh where are those going to be placed because we understand that housing often for our communities is placed in least desirable areas and many times in those
Areas we’re placed near flood planes we’re placed near polluting facilities so forth and so on that causes additional impacts inside of our community so I want equity in the housing that is being developed because if not we end up having higher Public Health costs we end up also being disconnected from educational
Opportunities or our students being uh being able in certain locations there are diseases sick housing is also a problem in many instances so when we talk about this set of needs that’s out there we also have to think about how our communities have traditionally been disproportionately impacted by housing
To make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes the same sins of the past well great um the the neighborhood uh in South Dallas County where I bought a house in December 1999 the house was around $122,000 because of the housing uh market right now think I
Think when last check that house the value is about 360,000 right now so that that was really starter homes if you will for a lot of people people who were leaving certain neighborhoods who were moving into homes that were ranging from 990,000 to 130,000 the problem that we have today
Is you don’t have that market the problem is places where homes are should be normally 150 175 right now they’re literally 250 275 because of the lack of Housing and as I said to con M caver presidents don’t build houses they don’t and so then I had somebody to say well Roland
That’s not the reason for the price demand yes it is in this where we are right now and I know other examples landlords raise the rent to force some people to leave in order to bring other folks in at a higher amount that’s actually what happens and so when you have small
Demand when you got a lot of demand and you got when you got more people who want to buy and you do not have a lot to offer the price is going to go up that is just the most basic economics possible it is basic supply and
Demand it is Roland um it’s difficult to see a structural change and a SE change when you’re in the middle of it do seem to be at an inflection point as a species again I’m glad you’re there Mustafa at coats because you know we may not be here to have this conversation if
Climate change continues to Pace we’re also talking about economics we’re talking about politics we’re at a we’re an inflection point and everybody says oh this election is the most important why yall keep saying that well this one might be the end of the experiment the American experiment certainly if Donald
Trump gets back in all you got to do is look at what the Heritage Foundation has floated as as as perspective what’s going to happen but what you’re talking about now and let’s let’s return to the metaphor you laid out if you’re selling water at $20 a bottle because the demand is so
High understand that water is a necessity of life so the people that can afford it will pay you $20 and the people who need it who can’t afford it are going to blow your brains out and take it see this is where we are right
Now the reason that cops is in UAE as Mustafa can walk us through very we fine detail is because those who are control of the fossil fuels in the world are attempting to put their thumb on the scale and stop the Green Revolution it’s going to be necessary to keep us here as
A species the UAE ain’t hosting it because they’re for the green stuff they’re hosting it because they’re against it and all the companies all the oil companies and everybody else is there trying to stop the train why because they’ve got a bottleneck on the oil now what’s the role of government
This is the question we have to ask ourselves no the president doesn’t build any housing but in 2008 with the economic collapse and the Bubble Burst when Timothy gner and the boy got in the room you read the book uh confidence Men and the Obama Administration decided to
Bail out the banks and not have an opportunity to restructure some of this structural inequity that’s when the opportunity was missed to addressed a great deal of this when the banks were basically at the mercy of the federal government and what the banks then did
Was the banks held on first of all we we bailed them out they held onto the toxic assets and then when the economy recovered they sold those toxic assets to private equity and what happens private Equity came in and literally bought 25,000 Homes at one time and the person
Sitting out there who had the money to buy one of those homes could not compete with private Equity come on Roland see this again y’all we say this every time this why the Blackstar Network so important you got to listen very carefully to what was being discussed
Right now the way you’re laying this out Roland you know you’re sitting not even two blocks from the White House right there in that studio every day when you come in and when you leave you see all these buildings in downtown DC with floors that are empty or dark because
People are now working remotely I’ve seen it in New York I’ve seen it in Atlanta I see it in DC like the point is this what we can’t see cuz we’re too up really close in it we’re at a structural moment of change in this country in the
World as it relates to even real estate people who have the option to rent because they don’t want to own that’s their that’s fine but if you don’t have a place to live and you’re part of an economy that is now with AI and everything else emerging increasingly
Creating a situation where you’re either going to be underpaid or not employed at all then this structural inequality is going to result in people in the streets literally fighting fighting to live what is the role of government in that when Emanuel cever is talking about subsidizing public housing this was the
Role of housing projects when you read arat Nelson’s book when affirmative action was white or his book fear itself you see that in this capitalist Society racial capitalism emerged and white people were protected to build a middle class now we’re in a situation where the whole thing may fly apart because if you
Don’t have a place to stay you don’t have enough to eat and you don’t have a job you’re not just going to say well I guess I lost in the game let me go sit down and die as a brother told me at temple one time 20 years ago he said I
Said man I just lost my job what you going to do bro well I’m going to take this last check and buy a pistol and a ski mask the point is that government has to intervene to slow down some of this unregulated Monopoly capitalism and I really don’t know how we approach this
Without dealing with it structurally the way you kind of began to walk uh brother Congressman Cleaver through that because other other than that Reckless capitalism is going to ultimately ACR to the detriment of not just the poor but the rich who kind to hide from the poor
As well you have people spending 40 to 50% of their monthly intake on homes that simply is not sustainable so the so the supply has to be dramatically increased and the way government does that is when government offers tax credits to builders to build and that’s why there that bill Congressman Cleaver
Is talking about has 186 co-sponsors Republican and Democrat they just got to move on it but they’re busy with Hunter Biden and that’s part of the problem right there that’s and let’s be clear Republicans are not necessarily the ones who are standing up for affordable and lowincome
Housing period all right going to the break we back talk with Lamont King who joins us from my Alpha gathering at buoy State um that boy you still in college Lord have mercy Lamont it’s time for you to go you that 20-year plan that’s what omega’s do all right we’ll be right back
On roller Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network on the next get wealthy with me Deborah Owens have you ever had a million dooll idea and wondered how to bring it to life well it’s all about turning problems into opportunities on our next get wealthy you’ll learn of a
Woman who identified the overload bag syndrome and now she’s taking that money to the bank through Global sales in major department stores and I was just struggling with two or three bags on the train and I looked around on the train and I said you know what there are a lot
Of women that are carrying two two or three bags that’s right here on get wealthy only on BlackStar Network I’m fori muhamed live from LA and this is the culture the culture is a two-way conversation you and me we talk about the stories politics The Good The Bad and The downright ugly so join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard hey we’re
All in this together so let’s talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into it’s the culture weekdays at three only on the Blackstar Network happy Founders Day Brothers I’ve been a member of alpha alpha for over 40 years and continue to be impressed with
The way that we individually and collectively deliver our best selves through our communities living up to our motto first of all Servants of all we shall transend send all let’s continue to drive our organization forward Thrive under the light and hold it high happy Founders Day uh just in case y’all didn’t know that was uh of course billionaire Robert Smith uh the richest African-American uh in uh the country and so that’s who uh was in that video right there uh I’m trying to uh show y’all something give me a second hopefully I can pull this up
Give me a second right here um so um uh this uh is I was just sent this here uh which I thought is uh pretty cool so I want to show y’all uh this is an image of New York’s Freedom Tower this what it looks like tonight in New York
City uh so yeah so uh that’s how we roll that’s how we roll all right y’all um next guest is uh comedian Lamont King he joins us uh Lamont where you at you somewhere with the brothers at buy state where you at so I’m spot in bu called party HQ alumni son
Ofad about 3 400 people in here it’s a big deal It’s obviously loud because I can barely hear you I’m go outside I’m go outside I’m go outside how about now all right that’s better we can we can we can actually hear you uh I just want I just wanted you to catch the vibe and and feel the energy of the festivities uh
Gotcha gotcha uh so uh so are you going to uh do any uh special stepping later I I there’s a high possibility as I am a former and previous world champion and there is video on YouTube of this so it it may happen it may happen tonight a
World champion and what a world champion we stepped in Toronto Ontario Canada in 1997 and we took home a 4 foot tall trophy with all our names on it and uh you know I I’m proud of that so I got to mention that every
Uh yeah uh so uh so with that in mind if that is true uh I would need to see videos and photos uh and uh and and I would need to actually see your name on that trophy um to to uh know if that’s
True I gotta get it I got to get it out of storage I think it’s in storage somewhere uh yeah okay uhuh so I I’ve been I’ve been asking this question to a bunch of brothers and nobody seems to answer answer this question me where in
The hell did they go from stepping to strolling so I put videos I put some videos on Instagram and folks like yo man you need a new stroll I’m like I’m sorry when I pledge after we pled we stepped sority stroll correct correct but here’s the thing here’s the thing I indict all
Oldheads that never Cor directed the behavior of these young heads who learned everything about the Frat on the Internet it’s the curse of the internet strolling was Regional they did it in the Southeast but once the internet hit and everybody start taking their cues from the internet now everybody does it
I’m from an era where we we party walked and we stepped yeah I don’t know I don’t yeah I don’t know what strolling is I don’t even know what it is yeah yeah no no we we we absolutely stepped uh here’s the other for me
When in the hell this whistle come in I mean no normally the way we did it when our feet hit the ground yeah and everybody heard us stepping they knew we arve I’m like where like what’s all this blow of the whistle [ __ ] again again of
As a as a historian in in my own mind I think it came from the internet that was a orinal thing um some of the chapters down south that had heavy marching band influence and members who were drum Majors carried it over into the Frat it
Got on the internet it got popular and now they just they ruined the whole party experience with the whistle I I I I me personally I ban it from all establishs that establishments that I have something to do with so if I’m if I’m putting it on you cannot bring that
Whistle no sir now one that I absolutely ain’t going to ride with and I’ve had some brothers try to explain to me the origins of it but I ain’t never ever going to call myself an ape well I mean that’s I I won’t refer to myself as that but as you know there
Was a that’s an identifying period of the previous process that’s the best way I can word that but but that just let I want everybody to know that’s that is not anything official of Al Alpha Fraternity in fact under General president skip Mason people they were
Banned from selling an ape image on with Alpha letters on paraphernalia whatever so I tell folk I don’t claim eight you ain’t gonna never see me taking no picture with no damn eight uh ain’t no way no I look we we got the Sphinx we good we don’t need no damn mascots leave
That up to them damn dogs well I got to I got to jump out of the car with you on that one because I’m a fan of the imagery and only simply because the ape is the is the uh uh uh alpha male of the
Jungle Primal primate no no no no no the king the the king of the jungle is the lion that’s fine and he can do him even the ape gonna run his ass away so here’s our again here’s my whole deal we no here’s what I tell everybody we are
Alpha men sure I Ain I ain’t I don’t need no monkey no chimp no no I don’t I don’t know chimps or monkeys but I do identify with in some of my clothing uh with the ape iconography if you will so I I’m I’m I’m
I’m I’m partial on that one uh let me bring let me bring in my panel uh to weigh in uh on this uh Mustafa Larry and Greg uh I’ll I’ll start let’s start with the ape first we’ll go to the other one uh Larry go
Ahead okay so um I was made a chain University Del pie chapter so one3 of Blade triangle that brother there knows what I’m talking about so let me let me say as old school brother a couple things you highlighted Roland the whistle I cannot get down with I also
Raise the same concern about when stepping change when we went from like I said we’re in a party we’re stepping you can hear it you can hear you can hear the floor to blowing a whistle so I you know like I said maybe more historians know better than I do also I completely
Agree with you Roland for those brothers who are watching and on this panel as specifically as it relates to eight we know why we use that and so I do have a problem with Brothers with the eight imagery on t-shirts and Etc because that’s not consistent with the
Fraternity so I’ll leave it with that Mustafa yeah Lam man it’s good to see you we go way way way back yeah yeah yeah my man it’s a lot of people here too that told me to tell you what’s up all right tell them myself said what’s
Up yeah yeah Lamont you know uh I’m more interested in what’s your vision for the for the fraternity you know where do we need to go what are the things that we need to to strengthen so that’s a great question we have these conversations all the time um
I I have a mantra about me that goes it’s bigger than letters right and I believe any Vision that we need to have or can have or should have has to be a collective Vision we are too many and too powerful in all of the D9 and all of
The other Civic uh associations fraternal or organizations that we that we um that we are a part of to not have a a a a stronghold on political activism it’s just too many of us and so my vision would be for as a collective across the D9 we have to really come
With a real game plan that everybody can buy into because when I got into the organization it was to be a part of something greater than myself so if that’s something greater than myself is not making real moves is not impacting not pushing the needle um and just
Serving surface level rhetoric it’s it’s it’s not going to get us anywhere so that would be my vision Collective working responsibilities as a whole all right Greg you can weigh in on the step in the whistle and the eight oh brother look it’s always good to hear Brother
Lamont man he it’s good it’s good to hear you frat um hey likea yes sir yes sir man on the stroll yeah I don’t know nothing about that even I I came in I came in on April 1985 man I’m I’m coming up on my 40th year in
A couple of years and and that ain’t how we did it uh my man Mario batty who was on faculty of Howard and the campus advisor for beta chapter he was the step Master at at a master right no question not the stroll Master uh when it comes
To uh the eight brother I I had to say this you know I’m first my family go to college I didn’t know anything about fraternities and sororities my best friend in Tennesse State marching band wanted to be a sigma so I went with him in the summer before school started we
Were at band practice we went to the library and they looking at the sigma history book and I seen the rest of them I saw that Sphinx on the cover of the alpha book let me see that one and when I saw Martin Luther King and Paul Robson
And Duke Ellington and Jesse Owens and Charles hamon Houston thuro Marsh I said okay can you be in more than one of these and they said no you got to be in one I said well who’s in y’all’s book then because everybody I know is in this
And that’s when I wanted to be so the Spinx like like like Mark Roland said the Sphinx was the image now I must confess because you know I pledged back in I guess would be considered the old days like ancient days like the rest of
Us old heads in here I do have a plastic banana that was around my neck and some of y’all know I’m talking it’s around there in the back but my point is the the ape in African culture when you talk about the baboons that was considered a symbol of high intelligence in ancient
Egypt the ape has a significance Beyond this notion of brute strength for African people is most one of the most intelligent animals and all that hav been said you will never ever catch me with a Gilla on my shirt I’ll in with that and and there you go all right
Lamont I I appreciate tell all the brothers what’s up y’all have a great time and I got uh I got some ape shirts for all four of y’all getting them made tomorrow I’m send them to all four of Y uh and guess what I’m sure it will burn very well in my
Fireplace right appreciate it all right folks uh we come back we g chat with Hill Harper of course Alfred brother he’s running for the United States Senate in Michigan we gonna catch up with him he’s with at the Alpha House in Detroit it’s going to be good chatting
With him uh and uh going going to the break here so I saw this is here uh this this was a this was a rap that uh some young Brothers put out uh the alphas put this out on Instagram and so I was like
Oh we got to uh share this on the show uh we’ll play this here going to break you’re watching Rolland Martin unfilter right here on the Blackstar Network we the first and the oldest let me correct that bro we the first and the CEST when you step on the yard just know we own we built it break by Brick since 1906 check the history facts and look at what we demonstrated how we copy anybody
We the ones originated taking to school like Le on me and s o c c j k m o t and when you see you know we ain’t free we got MLK W I mean look at the boy we going to be all right if I named every
We be here all night you see that black and all gold through the neon lights if I ask her who she wish she say she want ice only time our heads down after singing the H competition with who we ain’t competing again if it’s something is stuck and we keeping the win cuz
Without us boy would have them yeah Al Fraternity Incorporated develops leaders promotes Brotherhood and academic Excellence while provide a service and advocacy for our communities take your Facts when you talk about Blackness and what happens in Black Culture we’re about covering these things that matter to us uh speaking to our issues and concerns this is a genuine people powered movement there a lot of stuff that we’re not getting you get it and you spread
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To cover our Stu so please support us in what we do folks we want to hit $2,000 people $50 this month ra $100,000 we’re behind 100,000 so we want to hit that yall money makes this possible check some money orders go to PO Box 57196 Washington dc2000
37-196 the cash app is dollar sign RM unfiltered pay is R Martin unfiltered venmo is RM unfiltered zel is Roland rolands martin.com happy Founders Days Brothers this is Don Scott speaker elect House of delegates in Virginia I am so proud to be a member of alha fire Al for
Fraternity spring 1985 pyom Acron Texas ANM University Char line number three 06 Brothers Go Alpha all right y’all welcome back uh another brother wanted I hit him up wanted to join us it’s Hill Harper he of course is running for the United States Senate in Michigan uh wanted to uh include him in
Today’s show so hit him up uh he’s with uh at the Alpha House in Detroit what’s up hill what what’s up what’s up what’s up uh happy Founders Day founders day so you’re at found day you’re at the ala’s house in Detroit no I’m in my
House in Detroit I they they told me they told me if I went over there with you on camera they were like no I was going to go over there I’m headed there as soon as we finish to have a liation with the BR it’s going to be apple
Juice now we know you lying right there so we we we we we know you lying so tell them look don’t be scared it listen they could they could get drunk after after the some of the bras listen some of the BR asked me to bring them a very high
Level single malt uh uh some BR asked me to bring them a high level of a 100% Agave some brothers asked me to bring them um what one would call a burnt Mescal co uh uhh bottle so so it’s it’s you know like in Alpha we have diversity
That’s what people have to understand and somebody old school said bring them some Ripple that’s true but remember you know what you’re going to do since we’re in Detroit you’re gonna have Foo and V well I I understand understand uh and so I it’s a bunch of folks out there
They uh they would s they sent us videos and whatever so I wanted to me sure that we include you in the show uh I appreciate let me say this real quick Rand all the bras and this is a a more serious point about how serious our
Fraternity is so many of the bras have donated between $196 today to my campaign like hundreds as well as some did like $19.60 one did $3,196 cents the the the brothers are coming together just like they supported West Moore our governor just like they supported uh Senator waro um they’ve
Come through for my campaign and and they you know so anybody on there if you’re BR out there and you want to join and join other brothers hillh harper.com go on do your $196 we appreciate you and we love you well hill we appreciate that we going to
Have you back on to have a longer more in-depth conversation about your cacy uh there so I just wanted to be just wanted to get you on on the show uh and just make sure that that we had you a part of this yes yes happy Founders Day Brothers
It’s it’s I I wish you all the light and love and jewels to yourself all right appreciate it h thanks a lot appreciation thanks bro all right folks uh several other folks also sent us some uh some videos uh here is the great saxophonist alred brother Gerald Albright hey everybody saxophonist
Gerald Albrite here checking in to say happy Founders Day to all of my Alpha F Alpha Brothers I’m currently in customs literally in Porto varart where I’m doing a jazz festival big shout out to my dear friend Roland Martin happy Founders Day y’all take care all right uh filmmaker director producer Rob
Hardy I want to give a quick shout out to the best that ever did it the oldest and the coldest The Originators the innovators the brothers of alpha F Alpha Fraternity Incorporated happy Founders Day Brothers respect all right y’all and of course movie director uh Alpha brother Benny
Boom just sent this to me Roland what’s up frat I want to give a big shout out a big happy Founders Day to Alpha F Alpha Fraternity Incorporated founded Tuesday December 4th 1906 my name is brother Benny Douglas also known as Benny Boom
06 so um one of the things I want to I want to say this here you know Lamont made some comments Miss comments there in terms of Mustafa when he asked him that particular question and I I’ve said this uh on several occasions y’all have
Heard me uh quote this on the show on this show and uh I’ve given I gave the Brotherhood uh Speech to the alphas at our convention uh in Baltimore and I asked I stated this in my speech I said many of us talk about who ran the yard but the question I have
For you today is who’s running your cities and re Reverend Dr frerick Haynes is like oh I’mma steal that one I’mma steal that one and and so when I when I made this point and I talk about this all the time uh in Dr King’s book uh
Where Do We Go From Here chaos for Community uh he said this and y’all can go to go to my iPad as y’all see I actually read books so uh this was actually highlighted uh he said there are already structured forces in the Negro community that can serve as the basis for building
A powerful united front the Negro Church the Negro press the Negro fraternities and sororities and negro professional associations we must admit that these forces have never given their full resources to the cause of negro Liberation there are still too many negro churches that are so absorbed in a
Future good Over Yonder that they condition their members to adjust to the present evils over here too many negro newspapers have veered away from their traditional role as protest organs agitating for social change and have turned to The Sensational and the conservative in place of the subsi and
The militant too many negro social and professional groups have degenerated into snobbishness and a preoccupation with palities and trivial activity but the failures of the past must not be an excuse for the inaction of the present and the Future these groups must be mobilized and motivated and then he goes
On uh to say to talk about this with unity uh here’s why I said this and I’ve said this to the AKA who I’ve addressed to the Deltas who I’ve addressed to Sigma Garo who I addressed I’ve said it to other D9 members that when you look
At uh the divine nine and then you add in the links and you add add in Prince Hall Mason you add in Eastern Star and then you add in other black organizations what we have is a significant infrastructure in our community but I fundamentally believe just like Dr King
That we are not properly using that black infrastructure for the advancement of black people we spend lots of time talking about gentrification we spend lots of time talking about other folks owning our community we talk about uh non-black people dominating the Hair Care industry we talk about who’s owning
Convenience stores and gas stations in our neighborhoods we talk about all of those things but then how are we changing it just give you an example imagine if 20,000 if Alpha decided that they asked 20,000 of of its members to contribute ,000 a year to an investment fund that would amount to $20
Million so now all of a sudden let’s say the alphas create a $20 million investment fund and the AKA have one and the Deltas have one and if you go all the way down to all the divine nine you’re talking about nine organizations uh then you’re talking about $20 million
Each now talking about $180 million uhoh that we talking about how much we talking about how much money are we talking about collecting we’re talking now about major money we’re talking about 20 million each so you do do the math y’all I want y’all to do that 20 million times n uh
Oh like oh crap hold up that’s a lot of money so now if we’re talking about who’s investing in our businesses buying up land we’ve created literally an investment fund I I’ve said continuously who’s showing up at Schoolboard meetings who’s showing up at City meet Council meetings so imagine if you’re living in
Chicago and Houston and Dallas and in Charlotte and on and on and on and you have nine you have divine nine then you throw in easn Star Prince Hall Mason linkx down you got 12 groups now all of a sudden those 12 groups say okay in the
Month of January Alphas y’all got the school board meeting in the month of February Deltas y’all got the County Commissioners meeting in the month of March kappas uh y’all got uh the school board the city council meeting and you literally and all of a sudden you tell members where
Your colors and all of a sudden if you are a politician and you look up and you see 100 200 300 400 500 individuals in black and gold and uh and and crimson and cream and blue and white uh and and uh and blue and gold all of a sudden you
Like who in the hell are these people that’s called as king said mobilizing your people to affect change and then that thing can extend to other groups including sign pii other bule and so many other groups see I think the fundamental problem as king laid out with our fraternities and sororities and
Our other groups is that we are preoccupied with our internal business that we spend so much time on our internal business that were not necessarily driving change externally I spoke to the alphas in Tampa a few years ago they had uh a fundraiser for their youth program about 15 young men were
Going through it and I said to them can you imagine if each member of the Vine n said we want to run each 50 Charter Schools across the country now I know a lot of people disagree with Charter Schools but guess what they exist so imagine again same thing I said it
Across the country y’all so imagine you had 50 Charter Schools run by each member of divine n do you know how many thousands of students largely black we would have control over cuz guess what when you control the charter school you control the curriculum you control the
Dress code you control the teachers that get hired you control the budget you control the contracts you literally are controlling the minds of our children so what I am talking about on this Alpha founders day is that while we are thankful for what we have done there’s a
Lot more that we can actually do it’s easy to wear paraphernalia it’s easy to sit here and throw the ice it’s easy to step it’s easy to sit here and say oh you know what and recount all of these famous Alphas but let me remind you of
Something no famous Alpha got on that list without actually doing something and if we are going to truly say first of all Servants of all we shall transcend all then we must actually do it and we must actually lead the challenge I give to all black organizations is to do an actual
Assessment of what are you actually doing what are you actually changing and actually chart the change chart the progress elections are coming up that’s one thing we talk about what’s happening in our community economically that’s another thing I want to see black communities change they the only way our communities changed is when
The leadership actually leads it’s a lot of talking is not a lot of doing now is the opportunity for us to actually do the work and when you do the work nobody outside of our groups when they see black and gold will ask who is that
Nobody if they see pink and green or red and white or any of the other colors will go who are those people because when they actually see us in our neighborhoods at our City Council meetings and county commissioner meetings at state capito in Congress when they see us on Wall Street when
They see us challenging Corporate America when it comes to advertising with black own media when they see us challenging Corporate America and not accepting meager checks you know the big old checks they hold up at football games but is real small amounts when it comes to Black games when they see us
Showing up on a regular basis ain’t nobody question who they are because they will say there goes the men of alpha there goes the ladies of AKA there goes the lady of Delta there goes the men of Omega and Kappa and Zeta beta and sigma gamma R and iotas and they the
Links and the and and the Guardsmen uh and Prince Hall Mason and Eastern Star we can go on and on and on but they actually have to see us doing the work final comments Mustafa I would just remind everyone that you have power unless you give it
Away so let’s utilize our power in a way that’s constructive for our communities in a way that uplifts our communities and a way way that honors our communities Larry as we celebrate 117 years uh Roman I think I want to highlight is for our brothers that we describe as old school
To make sure we’re uplifting um the young brothers and then highlighting the history of our dear fraternity and making sure we give them the necessary support they need to be some of those Future Leaders you described Greg thank you Roland and thank you for bringing us together happy birthday all
Of the Frat and I’ll just close with the words of webd boy spoken at Hampton University in 1906 Dr Duo said the purpose of education for our people is to train Us in how to acquire and use power and that’s the only reason that these fraternities and sororities exist
So uh we got a huge of that listen to our frat brother wbd boys thanks again Roland for doing this brother uh indeed indeed all right folks uh that is it for us let me thank Mustafa Larry and Greg all the folks who sent videos are contributed as well uh y’all YouTube
Folks y’all got about uh 120 seconds to get to us to 1,000 likes y’all lacking right now at about 882 so let’s get this thing going uh don’t forget to support us in what we do your dollars absolutely matter send your check and money order the PE box 57196 Washington dc2000
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Folks uh we’re going to end the show with uh D Alex Thomas uh he is uh a member of adaah Omicron chapter uh and I saw this on the uh fraternity you uh Instagram channel uh and uh he put he arranged and played uh this version of
The alpha hymn on his Alto and tener saxophone this is what’s going to close us out on today’s edition of Roland Martin unfiltered I will see y’all tomorrow Holl N
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