Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviews Roland Martin. He hosts a popular YouTube show #RolandMartinUnfiltered. It is a daily show broadcast from Washington, DC, that focuses on news, politics, culture, entertainment, social justice, sports, education, business, and finance. If it’s important to you, he will cover it. You will be treated to some of the top minds in education, public policy, and academia, discussing the news of the day.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's to show that she
is the secrets of success experience firsthand by Marketing and
Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me
advice on many occasions. And in case you didn't notice,
I'm not broke. You know he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs,
entrepreneurs and industry decision make because it's what he likes
to do, it's what he likes to share. Now it's
time to hear from my man, Rashan McDonald money Making Conversations.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host this weekly money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviewers, interviews and information that this show
provides offer everyone. Basically, it's time to start reading other
people's success stories and start living your own. My next
guess is Underfiltered. He's a journalist who's always maintained a
clear sense of his calling in this world. Many of
(00:55):
bestowed upon him, the moniker, the voice of Black America.
Please welcome to I wanted to make a conversation masterclass.
I call them the one and only Roland Martin.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
How I'm doing great?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
What's happening, Doc, Well.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
They get out the way. Both of us are Houstonians. Ye,
get that out the way.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Man. You know your third Ward Texas on field Ward Texas.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I went to high school in third Ward, but
I actually actually born and raised in Clinton Park. Oh
exactly what. I was born and raised in Clinton Park,
right next to the ship Channel two fifty defend the
street grandparents so Clinton people don't realize is that Clinton
Park in Pleasantville were two master planning communities for forfical Americans.
(01:43):
My grandparents migrated from Opoulusu's Louisiana to Houston there and
so they little eight blocks from us. So that's why
I was born and raised. So I was zoned the
fir High school, but I actually went to Yates for
their School of Communications. That's why I went there.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Beautiful because of the fact that in Houston you can
clearly see where you know, segregation starts by naming of
the streets.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
You drive and all of a sudden they immediately change names.
So you know, that's the black street and this is
the white street. Exact clear it was when it was
in Houston, Texas. We can verify that.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
But in watching our careers grow and I watched you
a lot brother unfiltered.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
What exactly does that mean when I see the word unfiltered.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Well, what happens is is that when we speak to issues, Look,
a lot of people are afraid. A lot of people
don't want to say what we say privately. A lot
of people don't want to call it like it is.
A lot of people don't want to call out prominent
(02:48):
African Americans because, oh no, we don't want to air
our dirty laundry. And the position that I take is
one that is very simple. That is, we have to
speak truth to power. We have to be unfiltered.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
We we we cannot shirk that responsibility. And and I've
I've had a very basic premise.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
That is my motto. It was my entire career. Uh.
And it's very simple. If you do good, I'll talk
about you. If you do bad, I'll talk about you.
At the end of the day, I'll talk about you. Uh.
And so a lot of people that that that scares
a lot of people, And I'll never forget. It was
the fifth anniversary of the March in Washington for Jobs
(03:31):
and Freedom, and I had made some comments about the
King children regarding the MK Memorial, and so Man Martin
Luther Kingan third and and Bernice, but they were not
happy with me. So m ok the third you know,
you know, you know y'all, y y'all don't understand. I'm like, yeah, yeah,
we do. And then Bernie said, you know, you know, brother,
(03:53):
I love you, but you know y'all can walk a
day in our shoes. I said, Bernice, I want you
to look at it. Everybody, I said, everybody here I'm
talking about. It was Reverend Joseph Liverry, Reverend Sharpton. This
was at the event on Saturday, Sharpton's March the official
Things that Monday. I said, I said, everybody here knows
that at any given time I'll hit that. I said,
(04:13):
that's gonna come a day when you gonna want me
to hit somebody for you. No. Lie. Three days later,
while we are in d C. This is the this
is the official celebration. President Obama was there, Oprah was there.
All these people were there. Three days later, unbeknowns to us,
unbeknownst to her, her brothers had filed a lawsuit against
(04:36):
her in Atlanta, trying to get her ousted from the
King Center. The story came out that Tuesday, and you
know me, I sent her a message. I said, you
didn't realize that day was gonna come this fast time.
So that's just how so for me, unfiltered means. And
I tell people my maternal grandparents had eight kids. Those
(04:59):
eight kids had thirty nine kids. Those thirty nine kids
have something like seventy kids, and those seventy kids got
something like one hundred teen hundred and twenty Bruh. I
never spent the night in the non family member's house.
I didn't have room for friends. I had enough cousins,
so I don't need friends today. So I'm gonna say
(05:22):
what has to be said from the chips fall what
they may.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Because family got your back. Because family got your back,
family got your back.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Listen, it ain't even even in fact. See when I
did an interview with Blad TV and I talked about
how I am absolutely, adamantly opposed to Hazen, and I
talked about my pledge process and how our chapter pledged
I'm an alpha. And so I got a call from
(05:51):
some bruhs you know in the chapter. And I was like,
let me tell y'all something I got called from some alb's.
I said, Hey, I don't need none of y'all to
defend me. None of y'all. If any brothers in the
chapter or any brothers outside of the chapter got a
problem with something, I had to say, tell it has
to call me. I said, I've been I said, I've
(06:14):
been dealing with folks straight since I was seventeen years old.
I've been writing columns, I've been on radio. I said, Man,
I ain't afraid to deal with nobody. I said, I said,
I would indemnify y'all from having to defend me. I said,
I told about LB's, I don't need none of y'all
to defend me. If anybody got a problem, tell them
to call me and we can have a discussion straight.
(06:37):
So that's just how I roll, man, and I think people.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
That's what makes you unfiltered.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
That's what makes you just the journey, you know, because
a little history by rolling in that we back in
Houston young, we rolle in the Houston Defender, prominent black
newspaper in Houston, Texas, and back then Roland knew what
he wanted to do. I was still searching for myself.
So when he talks about having a clear understanding of
(07:03):
who he is. I can vouch for that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I can fourteenth at fourteen.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, you know, I didn't know him at fourteenth, but
I knew him at the Houston Defender, and he was
a young whipper snapper, as they say, and he was
very opinionated and he would challenge not only my relationship
in a good way. His challenges are never offensive because
he just wants the truth and he wants a response
from you that's legitimate and not saying it down a
water down.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
That is something that I really appreciate about you.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
What I also appreciate it she appreciated about you is
that I've seen you featured on BT I've seen you
featured on Seeing It, I've seen you featured.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
On TV one.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
What is the difference between those episodes of your life
and what you're doing now in the podcast world slash
TV world?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Because really streaming is the new TV.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
So I'll start from this point. First, the beauty my
first paid job for The Houston Defender is that I
never developed the perspective that white media was more important. Yes,
(08:17):
I had an internship with CBS News in Dallas, a
hit Hunter with Don Fitzpatrick and associates set it up.
And they set it up and half the internship, but
it was a non paid internship. I would have to
live with some family members. It was just look, I
couldn't afford that, and so I saw I turned it down.
(08:40):
I stayed at home. I got job of the Houston Defender,
and I worked at Wendy's as well. Now, his was
interesting that March. This is nineteen ninety. That March was
I was. I was on the born of NABJ National
Association of Black Journalists, and I was in LA and
a friend went to the house of this brother and
Tommy Wright. Tommy Wright at the time was married to
(09:02):
his sister, worked at LA Times. So we were in Tommy's.
We were in Tommy's kitchen, uh, and I was Tommy
was asking about the things that I had already done
by the time in my career. I I was in college,
and he said, you've done all this. He said, bro,
you should never work another day in your life for free.
And so when I went to the Defender un aside jobs,
(09:24):
was like, well, our intern is free. I said, no,
y'all gotta pay me. He said, now, y'all gotta pay me,
and she was sort of like and I was like, no,
y'all gotta pay me, like this is what I've done.
And so I can't remember if it was two hundred
and fifty dollars, I don't know what it was. But
I got paid and I knew I did. I didn't.
(09:45):
I like, I understood my worth then and so so
you get that. And then so again, just think about that.
I turned down an interns of free internshi with CBS
News to work at a black paper where then they
paid me a lot of money. But it was some
(10:07):
money see for a lot of black people, what CBS.
But I did more at the Defender in that summer
that I would have done at CBS. And that was
the first thing what that said to me early on.
This is nineteen ninety. What that said to me was,
(10:29):
what's more? That was thirty four years ago. What's more
important is the opportunity and not the size of the company.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
I want to talk about DEI. Why ISDI under attack.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
First of all, most Dei's bush and when I say
bullish is not real. The individuals who the individuals who
have these jobs. Seventy five percent of all DEI jobs
held a bout white folks that they don't have P
and their responsibility, so they don't have any real budgets. Okay,
(11:07):
DEI jobs no different from the you know, global diversity whatever. Now, No,
you gotta have P and responsibility. The only real DEI
jobs that are significant is when the CEO has made
it clear this is the mandates. That's the only thing.
The reason DEI is under attack is no different than
the firmative action down the line. You got white folks
in this country who do not want us to succeed.
(11:28):
The reason I wrote this book White Fear, how the
browning of Americas making white folks lose their minds is
because they see what is going on. They know that
by twenty forty three, we're gonna be a nation majority
people of color. And what you have was is this
these white folks who cannot handle they now have to compete.
So in their minds, like the polls show, they believe
(11:52):
that racism against white people is as equal or more
is gainst black people. Come on, bruh, But that's the deal.
Because they now have to compete, They now are in
a situation. Uh, they now are in a situation that uh,
they that they can't handle they can't control, and so
(12:14):
so the Supreme Court decision or gives it from innive action.
The attack against the Fearless Fund. Uh, now you got
that racist Stephen Miller his group, they are filing challenges
against the NFL's Rooney Rule. They have written to the
EEOC to investigate the NFL or the Rooney Rule requiring
that they interview minority candidates for top positions. And so
(12:35):
they want to attack everything that we have seen that
how black people have been able to at least get
a foothold in this society. And so they'll go, oh, yeah,
you get a job because you're black. But Johnson about
these but you say nothing about these mediocre white folks
over here who got jobs. And so bruh. Every I'm
(12:56):
telling you, I wrote this book, uh September two years ago.
I've been talking about this, this concept since two thousand
and nine. Same thing I saw it coming. That was
a poll taking two thousand and nine around Obamas Obama's inauguration.
The question was asked, are you optimistic about the future
of America for your children? Black people, latinos Asian Americans,
(13:18):
Native Americans majority said yes. One group was less than
the majority. White America. And so I was talking about
this on shows. I was putting it into my stuff
on a TV doc. They weren't listening, they weren't paying attention.
And I've been telling I said, y'all, this thing is coming,
this thing is coming, that resentment against Obama. I said, y'all,
(13:40):
this thing is coming, is bubbling is coming. Trump comes in,
and you know what he did. He said, you know what,
we can peel back this seaing. Y'all can now say
whatever y'all want, but no repercussions. And guess what. It's
been a flood since two thousand and sixteen, and so
that's why it's under attack. They are going. Let me
(14:00):
be perfectly cliffed, everybody who's listened to me, let me clear.
If there is any program or initiative at schools, in corporations,
anywhere that is designed to level the playing field for
black people and people of color, all of it is
going to be under attack. And the people who are
(14:23):
also the most silent are the greatest beneficiaries of these programs,
white women.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations, Master Class.
Welcome back to the Money Making Conversations Master Class. Hosted
by Rashaan MacDonald.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
This cannot be a situation where black people are the
ones out here fighting this. White women, y'all have benefited
from these programs more than anybody else, and then the
ones who are quiet. That's why DEI is under attack.
That's why it was critical race theory. Now they put
everything under DEI. Now it's tacking woke, anything that is
(15:06):
all anti black. That is what these attacks are.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Let me ask you this, because multiple streams of income.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Accepting your truth, I'm hearing that out of you.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
First of all, you got to stop at the bolder
streams of income because that was the most important thing.
Never let one person control your money. So by by
having the multiple they could not they could not control
they had. They had a debate in Austin and they said, hey,
we're not gonna bring any contributors. I said, okay, I said,
(15:40):
so I registered the debate. He said, what are you doing?
I said, oh, I'm sorry. I don't need y'all to
pay for me to go to the debate. I got
this show over here, and so so I go to Austin.
Then they go, hey you. They go, hey, well, we
realized that you know what we could use you on TV.
I said, well, my whole time out. Now you want
(16:02):
to put me on TV. I said, y'all don't have
to pay for my hotel room. Since y'all now want
to use me on CNN and you ain't paid for nothing,
you ain't getting me free now, mind you. I was
still be paid as a contributor. I didn't get paid
for her appearans. I got paid a monthly fee. I said,
but since y'all want to use being offered, y'all gotta
(16:23):
pay for the hotel room. So I never allowed because
when they told me no, I will go no problem
over here Trayvon Market when he got killed. I go
to Sandford. They were like, you're here. I'm like, yeah,
I don't need y'all to pay for my stuff. The
mistake that we make is we would let one company
control our destiny. I had Tom Joiner money, I had
(16:44):
TV one money, I had CNN money, I had speech money,
I had book money, and I had I straight up brother.
I had executive the e P. Scott Matthews was talking.
The tone was quite paternalistic, brother, and I said, Scott,
ma me help you out. I got five lines of revenue.
(17:07):
Y'all number three, he sort of. I said, and if
this ends, I do this here, brother man, the look
and that's what look. I'm straight up. Many other white executives,
(17:28):
as seeing In could not handle that I had five
lines of revenue because they couldn't control my money. When
you control the money, you control the output. I said, yeah,
I can't talk about this here. I'm a discussing on Joanna.
I'm discussing on TV one. See, that's the whole deal.
(17:49):
I know. The day I signed with ceeing In, I
told my agent, Mark Watts, We're not going to go
get another deal that meets or exceeds the financial the
CNN deal. When we got that deal, I said, we're
gonna get another deal that meets or exceeds that one.
So if any one of them ends, we just pivot.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Black voices. If I had to say, five black prominent.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Voices that have something to say, because consider your person
has something to say, they can rally the truths, so
to speak. What five voices would you say are compelling
and can rally the troops in today's twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Four Now, remember when we say black voices, Yes, you've
got black voices that are with mainstream, and then you
got black voices that are independent, so and that distinction
is important. The reason it's hard for me to answer
(18:55):
the question is because your question is extremely specific. When
you say rally the troops. The problem is there are
many folk who are in media who are not trying
to rally the troops. They're just talking.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Do you mean by that?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
They're just talking? Meaning your agenda has to be I'm
trying I can just talk to people versus I'm trying
to organize and mobilize people. There are people who call
(19:37):
for a protest and they have a protest, but they
do no data collection and so so for them, the
protest is the event as opposed to the work after
the protest. So when Reverend William Barbara and I are talking,
the reason we vibe besides the fact that both of
(19:58):
us are Alpha Alpha's, is beca because Reverend Barber is
all about strategizing, mobilizing, organizing, So they don't just sit
here and do a protest, and they get a whole
bunch of prominent people talking. They have what they call
affected people. So when they're talking about poor people, they
(20:19):
gonna have a big name. But five poor people talking,
so they want the voices of the of the poor
folk are just as important, actually more important than this
prominent black civil rights activist or a lawyer or whatever
they had. And so that's why we vibe because the
goal is different. And so part of the problem is
(20:42):
what you're talking about is and look, we've just lost
one of those people, Joe Madison. Joe Madison was one
of those people who was like, I'm not just talking
about stuff. I'm trying to move people. I'm trying to
take this thing called mass media and reach the masses
(21:02):
to move them to do something. And I think that
that's what's so different. So Tom Jonas retired, Frank, you know,
when I look at black radio, we're hurting because we
got folks who just want to tell jokes all day,
(21:24):
folks who just want to play with things all day.
I think I think Ricky Smiley could really fill that
void if he's given the freedom to do so. But
the problem is he's constricted by bosses who control the show.
Right dll is doing a very good job with his
(21:50):
radio show and again moving talking about news and politics
and trying to connect the dots. A person who I
really I think I would say, a year from now.
I really believe, and I think I think he's one
of the smartest, most brilliant voices out there who has it.
(22:13):
He hasn't been put in the right position, and now
that he has his own thing, I think you're gonna
see the develops. Uh Babonni Jones, m h. I think
I think you're gonna see that. But again it goes
to uh intent. Again, there are there are people with
(22:35):
shows who do great content, who speak to issues, but
your question is a totally different question. It really is
a person who is by design trying to not just inform,
but educate, inform, mobilized and organized, and that's what you do. Yes, yes, no, no, no, no, no,
(23:01):
that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. That's a
that's a whole different thing. And I think that's the difference.
And so somebody watching might go, I can't believe he
mentioned this person that person, because that's not what they're
trying to do.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Some folks are just talking about stuff and that's fine,
But the question is are they trying to take that
audience and move them here. We want you to show
up here, we want you to sign up. We want
you to get involved, want you to see that's so
that's a whole different agenda, and I'm fine with that.
Everybody has their lane. I say this all the time
(23:38):
to people. Stephen A has a lane, Shennon Sharp has
a lane, Robin Roberts has a lane. Again, BUTMANI has
a lane. I mean, I know all these different people
on Joey Reid has a lane. All people have different lanes.
But what comes to is, what is your mission? What
(23:58):
is your mission? Are you what is your mission? Why
are you actually doing it? And for me, I don't
want to do the mainstream type shows because I know
what the mission is and that mission is not what
their mission is. And we will be colliding the entire time.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Cool Roland Martin. Wow, thank you brother. I pause because
can I say you're special? Can I say you're making
the difference out in this world?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Man? And all joke aside.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
When I saw you at the at the honors man
and and our you know you we both have seen
each other's journey, you know, me being with Steve and
I remember in twenty eighteen was trying to find that
direction and you was talking about the digital games. I'm
gonna do my own thing, and you said digital in
twenty eighteen for your lunch, I said, go do your thing,
(24:53):
and guess what You're controlling your thing, and you are
now hashtag Roland Martin unfiltered digital daily shows streaming on
the Blackstar Network is on podcast.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
They need it all because they may not see it all. Rod.
Thank you again, brother for supporting HBCU. But I graded
from PWI. You graduate in PWI. But we don'understand the
value of HBCUs and what they bring the community. Absolutely
might have been a compensations master class wek brother.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
Brother, thanks a lot, Thank you for joining us for
this edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with rough Shan McDonald is produced by thirty eight
fifteen Media Inc. More information about thirty eight to fifteen
Media Inc. Is available at thirty eight to fifteen media
(25:42):
dot com. And always remember to lead with your gifts
Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's to show that she
is the secrets of success experience firsthand by Marketing and
Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me
advice on many occasions. And in case you didn't notice,
I'm not broke. You know he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs,
entrepreneurs and industry decision make because it's what he likes
to do, it's what he likes to share. Now it's
time to hear from my man, Rashan McDonald money Making Conversations.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host this weekly money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviewers, interviews and information that this show
provides offer everyone. Basically, it's time to start reading other
people's success stories and start living your own. My next
guess is Underfiltered. He's a journalist who's always maintained a
clear sense of his calling in this world. Many of
(00:55):
bestowed upon him, the moniker, the voice of Black America.
Please welcome to I wanted to make a conversation masterclass.
I call them the one and only Roland Martin.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
How I'm doing great?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
What's happening, Doc, Well.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
They get out the way. Both of us are Houstonians. Ye,
get that out the way.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Man. You know your third Ward Texas on field Ward Texas.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I went to high school in third Ward, but
I actually actually born and raised in Clinton Park. Oh
exactly what. I was born and raised in Clinton Park,
right next to the ship Channel two fifty defend the
street grandparents so Clinton people don't realize is that Clinton
Park in Pleasantville were two master planning communities for forfical Americans.
(01:43):
My grandparents migrated from Opoulusu's Louisiana to Houston there and
so they little eight blocks from us. So that's why
I was born and raised. So I was zoned the
fir High school, but I actually went to Yates for
their School of Communications. That's why I went there.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Beautiful because of the fact that in Houston you can
clearly see where you know, segregation starts by naming of
the streets.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
You drive and all of a sudden they immediately change names.
So you know, that's the black street and this is
the white street. Exact clear it was when it was
in Houston, Texas. We can verify that.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
But in watching our careers grow and I watched you
a lot brother unfiltered.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
What exactly does that mean when I see the word unfiltered.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Well, what happens is is that when we speak to issues, Look,
a lot of people are afraid. A lot of people
don't want to say what we say privately. A lot
of people don't want to call it like it is.
A lot of people don't want to call out prominent
(02:48):
African Americans because, oh no, we don't want to air
our dirty laundry. And the position that I take is
one that is very simple. That is, we have to
speak truth to power. We have to be unfiltered.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
We we we cannot shirk that responsibility. And and I've
I've had a very basic premise.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
That is my motto. It was my entire career. Uh.
And it's very simple. If you do good, I'll talk
about you. If you do bad, I'll talk about you.
At the end of the day, I'll talk about you. Uh.
And so a lot of people that that that scares
a lot of people, And I'll never forget. It was
the fifth anniversary of the March in Washington for Jobs
(03:31):
and Freedom, and I had made some comments about the
King children regarding the MK Memorial, and so Man Martin
Luther Kingan third and and Bernice, but they were not
happy with me. So m ok the third you know,
you know, you know y'all, y y'all don't understand. I'm like, yeah, yeah,
we do. And then Bernie said, you know, you know, brother,
(03:53):
I love you, but you know y'all can walk a
day in our shoes. I said, Bernice, I want you
to look at it. Everybody, I said, everybody here I'm
talking about. It was Reverend Joseph Liverry, Reverend Sharpton. This
was at the event on Saturday, Sharpton's March the official
Things that Monday. I said, I said, everybody here knows
that at any given time I'll hit that. I said,
(04:13):
that's gonna come a day when you gonna want me
to hit somebody for you. No. Lie. Three days later,
while we are in d C. This is the this
is the official celebration. President Obama was there, Oprah was there.
All these people were there. Three days later, unbeknowns to us,
unbeknownst to her, her brothers had filed a lawsuit against
(04:36):
her in Atlanta, trying to get her ousted from the
King Center. The story came out that Tuesday, and you
know me, I sent her a message. I said, you
didn't realize that day was gonna come this fast time.
So that's just how so for me, unfiltered means. And
I tell people my maternal grandparents had eight kids. Those
(04:59):
eight kids had thirty nine kids. Those thirty nine kids
have something like seventy kids, and those seventy kids got
something like one hundred teen hundred and twenty Bruh. I
never spent the night in the non family member's house.
I didn't have room for friends. I had enough cousins,
so I don't need friends today. So I'm gonna say
(05:22):
what has to be said from the chips fall what
they may.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Because family got your back. Because family got your back,
family got your back.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Listen, it ain't even even in fact. See when I
did an interview with Blad TV and I talked about
how I am absolutely, adamantly opposed to Hazen, and I
talked about my pledge process and how our chapter pledged
I'm an alpha. And so I got a call from
(05:51):
some bruhs you know in the chapter. And I was like,
let me tell y'all something I got called from some alb's.
I said, Hey, I don't need none of y'all to
defend me. None of y'all. If any brothers in the
chapter or any brothers outside of the chapter got a
problem with something, I had to say, tell it has
to call me. I said, I've been I said, I've
(06:14):
been dealing with folks straight since I was seventeen years old.
I've been writing columns, I've been on radio. I said, Man,
I ain't afraid to deal with nobody. I said, I said,
I would indemnify y'all from having to defend me. I said,
I told about LB's, I don't need none of y'all
to defend me. If anybody got a problem, tell them
to call me and we can have a discussion straight.
(06:37):
So that's just how I roll, man, and I think people.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
That's what makes you unfiltered.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
That's what makes you just the journey, you know, because
a little history by rolling in that we back in
Houston young, we rolle in the Houston Defender, prominent black
newspaper in Houston, Texas, and back then Roland knew what
he wanted to do. I was still searching for myself.
So when he talks about having a clear understanding of
(07:03):
who he is. I can vouch for that.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I can fourteenth at fourteen.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, you know, I didn't know him at fourteenth, but
I knew him at the Houston Defender, and he was
a young whipper snapper, as they say, and he was
very opinionated and he would challenge not only my relationship
in a good way. His challenges are never offensive because
he just wants the truth and he wants a response
from you that's legitimate and not saying it down a
water down.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
That is something that I really appreciate about you.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
What I also appreciate it she appreciated about you is
that I've seen you featured on BT I've seen you
featured on Seeing It, I've seen you featured.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
On TV one.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
What is the difference between those episodes of your life
and what you're doing now in the podcast world slash
TV world?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Because really streaming is the new TV.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
So I'll start from this point. First, the beauty my
first paid job for The Houston Defender is that I
never developed the perspective that white media was more important. Yes,
(08:17):
I had an internship with CBS News in Dallas, a
hit Hunter with Don Fitzpatrick and associates set it up.
And they set it up and half the internship, but
it was a non paid internship. I would have to
live with some family members. It was just look, I
couldn't afford that, and so I saw I turned it down.
(08:40):
I stayed at home. I got job of the Houston Defender,
and I worked at Wendy's as well. Now, his was
interesting that March. This is nineteen ninety. That March was
I was. I was on the born of NABJ National
Association of Black Journalists, and I was in LA and
a friend went to the house of this brother and
Tommy Wright. Tommy Wright at the time was married to
(09:02):
his sister, worked at LA Times. So we were in Tommy's.
We were in Tommy's kitchen, uh, and I was Tommy
was asking about the things that I had already done
by the time in my career. I I was in college,
and he said, you've done all this. He said, bro,
you should never work another day in your life for free.
And so when I went to the Defender un aside jobs,
(09:24):
was like, well, our intern is free. I said, no,
y'all gotta pay me. He said, now, y'all gotta pay me,
and she was sort of like and I was like, no,
y'all gotta pay me, like this is what I've done.
And so I can't remember if it was two hundred
and fifty dollars, I don't know what it was. But
I got paid and I knew I did. I didn't.
(09:45):
I like, I understood my worth then and so so
you get that. And then so again, just think about that.
I turned down an interns of free internshi with CBS
News to work at a black paper where then they
paid me a lot of money. But it was some
(10:07):
money see for a lot of black people, what CBS.
But I did more at the Defender in that summer
that I would have done at CBS. And that was
the first thing what that said to me early on.
This is nineteen ninety. What that said to me was,
(10:29):
what's more? That was thirty four years ago. What's more
important is the opportunity and not the size of the company.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
I want to talk about DEI. Why ISDI under attack.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
First of all, most Dei's bush and when I say
bullish is not real. The individuals who the individuals who
have these jobs. Seventy five percent of all DEI jobs
held a bout white folks that they don't have P
and their responsibility, so they don't have any real budgets. Okay,
(11:07):
DEI jobs no different from the you know, global diversity whatever. Now, No,
you gotta have P and responsibility. The only real DEI
jobs that are significant is when the CEO has made
it clear this is the mandates. That's the only thing.
The reason DEI is under attack is no different than
the firmative action down the line. You got white folks
in this country who do not want us to succeed.
(11:28):
The reason I wrote this book White Fear, how the
browning of Americas making white folks lose their minds is
because they see what is going on. They know that
by twenty forty three, we're gonna be a nation majority
people of color. And what you have was is this
these white folks who cannot handle they now have to compete.
So in their minds, like the polls show, they believe
(11:52):
that racism against white people is as equal or more
is gainst black people. Come on, bruh, But that's the deal.
Because they now have to compete, They now are in
a situation. Uh, they now are in a situation that uh,
they that they can't handle they can't control, and so
(12:14):
so the Supreme Court decision or gives it from innive action.
The attack against the Fearless Fund. Uh, now you got
that racist Stephen Miller his group, they are filing challenges
against the NFL's Rooney Rule. They have written to the
EEOC to investigate the NFL or the Rooney Rule requiring
that they interview minority candidates for top positions. And so
(12:35):
they want to attack everything that we have seen that
how black people have been able to at least get
a foothold in this society. And so they'll go, oh, yeah,
you get a job because you're black. But Johnson about
these but you say nothing about these mediocre white folks
over here who got jobs. And so bruh. Every I'm
(12:56):
telling you, I wrote this book, uh September two years ago.
I've been talking about this, this concept since two thousand
and nine. Same thing I saw it coming. That was
a poll taking two thousand and nine around Obamas Obama's inauguration.
The question was asked, are you optimistic about the future
of America for your children? Black people, latinos Asian Americans,
(13:18):
Native Americans majority said yes. One group was less than
the majority. White America. And so I was talking about
this on shows. I was putting it into my stuff
on a TV doc. They weren't listening, they weren't paying attention.
And I've been telling I said, y'all, this thing is coming,
this thing is coming, that resentment against Obama. I said, y'all,
(13:40):
this thing is coming, is bubbling is coming. Trump comes in,
and you know what he did. He said, you know what,
we can peel back this seaing. Y'all can now say
whatever y'all want, but no repercussions. And guess what. It's
been a flood since two thousand and sixteen, and so
that's why it's under attack. They are going. Let me
(14:00):
be perfectly cliffed, everybody who's listened to me, let me clear.
If there is any program or initiative at schools, in corporations,
anywhere that is designed to level the playing field for
black people and people of color, all of it is
going to be under attack. And the people who are
(14:23):
also the most silent are the greatest beneficiaries of these programs,
white women.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations, Master Class.
Welcome back to the Money Making Conversations Master Class. Hosted
by Rashaan MacDonald.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
This cannot be a situation where black people are the
ones out here fighting this. White women, y'all have benefited
from these programs more than anybody else, and then the
ones who are quiet. That's why DEI is under attack.
That's why it was critical race theory. Now they put
everything under DEI. Now it's tacking woke, anything that is
(15:06):
all anti black. That is what these attacks are.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Let me ask you this, because multiple streams of income.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Accepting your truth, I'm hearing that out of you.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
First of all, you got to stop at the bolder
streams of income because that was the most important thing.
Never let one person control your money. So by by
having the multiple they could not they could not control
they had. They had a debate in Austin and they said, hey,
we're not gonna bring any contributors. I said, okay, I said,
(15:40):
so I registered the debate. He said, what are you doing?
I said, oh, I'm sorry. I don't need y'all to
pay for me to go to the debate. I got
this show over here, and so so I go to Austin.
Then they go, hey you. They go, hey, well, we
realized that you know what we could use you on TV.
I said, well, my whole time out. Now you want
(16:02):
to put me on TV. I said, y'all don't have
to pay for my hotel room. Since y'all now want
to use me on CNN and you ain't paid for nothing,
you ain't getting me free now, mind you. I was
still be paid as a contributor. I didn't get paid
for her appearans. I got paid a monthly fee. I said,
but since y'all want to use being offered, y'all gotta
(16:23):
pay for the hotel room. So I never allowed because
when they told me no, I will go no problem
over here Trayvon Market when he got killed. I go
to Sandford. They were like, you're here. I'm like, yeah,
I don't need y'all to pay for my stuff. The
mistake that we make is we would let one company
control our destiny. I had Tom Joiner money, I had
(16:44):
TV one money, I had CNN money, I had speech money,
I had book money, and I had I straight up brother.
I had executive the e P. Scott Matthews was talking.
The tone was quite paternalistic, brother, and I said, Scott,
ma me help you out. I got five lines of revenue.
(17:07):
Y'all number three, he sort of. I said, and if
this ends, I do this here, brother man, the look
and that's what look. I'm straight up. Many other white executives,
(17:28):
as seeing In could not handle that I had five
lines of revenue because they couldn't control my money. When
you control the money, you control the output. I said, yeah,
I can't talk about this here. I'm a discussing on Joanna.
I'm discussing on TV one. See, that's the whole deal.
(17:49):
I know. The day I signed with ceeing In, I
told my agent, Mark Watts, We're not going to go
get another deal that meets or exceeds the financial the
CNN deal. When we got that deal, I said, we're
gonna get another deal that meets or exceeds that one.
So if any one of them ends, we just pivot.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Black voices. If I had to say, five black prominent.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Voices that have something to say, because consider your person
has something to say, they can rally the truths, so
to speak. What five voices would you say are compelling
and can rally the troops in today's twenty twenty.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Four Now, remember when we say black voices, Yes, you've
got black voices that are with mainstream, and then you
got black voices that are independent, so and that distinction
is important. The reason it's hard for me to answer
(18:55):
the question is because your question is extremely specific. When
you say rally the troops. The problem is there are
many folk who are in media who are not trying
to rally the troops. They're just talking.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Do you mean by that?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
They're just talking? Meaning your agenda has to be I'm
trying I can just talk to people versus I'm trying
to organize and mobilize people. There are people who call
(19:37):
for a protest and they have a protest, but they
do no data collection and so so for them, the
protest is the event as opposed to the work after
the protest. So when Reverend William Barbara and I are talking,
the reason we vibe besides the fact that both of
(19:58):
us are Alpha Alpha's, is beca because Reverend Barber is
all about strategizing, mobilizing, organizing, So they don't just sit
here and do a protest, and they get a whole
bunch of prominent people talking. They have what they call
affected people. So when they're talking about poor people, they
(20:19):
gonna have a big name. But five poor people talking,
so they want the voices of the of the poor
folk are just as important, actually more important than this
prominent black civil rights activist or a lawyer or whatever
they had. And so that's why we vibe because the
goal is different. And so part of the problem is
(20:42):
what you're talking about is and look, we've just lost
one of those people, Joe Madison. Joe Madison was one
of those people who was like, I'm not just talking
about stuff. I'm trying to move people. I'm trying to
take this thing called mass media and reach the masses
(21:02):
to move them to do something. And I think that
that's what's so different. So Tom Jonas retired, Frank, you know,
when I look at black radio, we're hurting because we
got folks who just want to tell jokes all day,
(21:24):
folks who just want to play with things all day.
I think I think Ricky Smiley could really fill that
void if he's given the freedom to do so. But
the problem is he's constricted by bosses who control the show.
Right dll is doing a very good job with his
(21:50):
radio show and again moving talking about news and politics
and trying to connect the dots. A person who I
really I think I would say, a year from now.
I really believe, and I think I think he's one
of the smartest, most brilliant voices out there who has it.
(22:13):
He hasn't been put in the right position, and now
that he has his own thing, I think you're gonna
see the develops. Uh Babonni Jones, m h. I think
I think you're gonna see that. But again it goes
to uh intent. Again, there are there are people with
(22:35):
shows who do great content, who speak to issues, but
your question is a totally different question. It really is
a person who is by design trying to not just inform,
but educate, inform, mobilized and organized, and that's what you do. Yes, yes, no, no, no, no, no,
(23:01):
that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. That's a
that's a whole different thing. And I think that's the difference.
And so somebody watching might go, I can't believe he
mentioned this person that person, because that's not what they're
trying to do.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Some folks are just talking about stuff and that's fine,
But the question is are they trying to take that
audience and move them here. We want you to show
up here, we want you to sign up. We want
you to get involved, want you to see that's so
that's a whole different agenda, and I'm fine with that.
Everybody has their lane. I say this all the time
(23:38):
to people. Stephen A has a lane, Shennon Sharp has
a lane, Robin Roberts has a lane. Again, BUTMANI has
a lane. I mean, I know all these different people
on Joey Reid has a lane. All people have different lanes.
But what comes to is, what is your mission? What
(23:58):
is your mission? Are you what is your mission? Why
are you actually doing it? And for me, I don't
want to do the mainstream type shows because I know
what the mission is and that mission is not what
their mission is. And we will be colliding the entire time.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Cool Roland Martin. Wow, thank you brother. I pause because
can I say you're special? Can I say you're making
the difference out in this world?
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Man? And all joke aside.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
When I saw you at the at the honors man
and and our you know you we both have seen
each other's journey, you know, me being with Steve and
I remember in twenty eighteen was trying to find that
direction and you was talking about the digital games. I'm
gonna do my own thing, and you said digital in
twenty eighteen for your lunch, I said, go do your thing,
(24:53):
and guess what You're controlling your thing, and you are
now hashtag Roland Martin unfiltered digital daily shows streaming on
the Blackstar Network is on podcast.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
They need it all because they may not see it all. Rod.
Thank you again, brother for supporting HBCU. But I graded
from PWI. You graduate in PWI. But we don'understand the
value of HBCUs and what they bring the community. Absolutely
might have been a compensations master class wek brother.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
Brother, thanks a lot, Thank you for joining us for
this edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Money Making Conversations
Masterclass with rough Shan McDonald is produced by thirty eight
fifteen Media Inc. More information about thirty eight to fifteen
Media Inc. Is available at thirty eight to fifteen media
(25:42):
dot com. And always remember to lead with your gifts
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