As we navigate the intricate dance of politics and economy, we're met with a paradox: booming job numbers and consumer confidence contrast sharply with President Biden's approval ratings. The tapestry of today's America is a blend of bipartisan efforts, like the tax relief bill, alongside Senate GOP hesitations rooted in concerns over the federal deficit and child tax credit. These are the currents shaping our landscape, and they demand a deeper understanding—one that we promise to unravel with sharp analysis and lively discussion.
The airwaves lost a giant of justice with Joe Madison's passing, and we dedicate heartfelt moments to honor his legacy. Known as the Black Eagle, Joe's tireless activism echoed through generations, from his hunger strikes to amplify Sudan's humanitarian crisis, to his compelling influence on the NAACP. His story is one of courage, a clarion call to the media's power in fostering community engagement. Join us as we pay tribute to a man whose wings may have folded but whose spirit soars in the echoes of change he championed.
Lastly, we contemplate the future of activism, and the necessity for influential voices, like the original Black Eagle, to guide our communities towards greater unity and resolve. It's not about passing the torch; it's about igniting a multitude of flames to light the way forward. We reflect on the fine art of the interview, our duty to challenge without seeking permission, and the strategies that shape movements like boycotts and hunger strikes. We're here to stir the pot, to provoke thought, and to inspire action—join us for a journey through the complexities of leadership, legacy, and the unyielding pursuit of justice.
As we navigate the intricate dance of politics and economy, we're met with a paradox: booming job numbers and consumer confidence contrast sharply with President Biden's approval ratings. The tapestry of today's America is a blend of bipartisan efforts, like the tax relief bill, alongside Senate GOP hesitations rooted in concerns over the federal deficit and child tax credit. These are the currents shaping our landscape, and they demand a deeper understanding—one that we promise to unravel with sharp analysis and lively discussion.
The airwaves lost a giant of justice with Joe Madison's passing, and we dedicate heartfelt moments to honor his legacy. Known as the Black Eagle, Joe's tireless activism echoed through generations, from his hunger strikes to amplify Sudan's humanitarian crisis, to his compelling influence on the NAACP. His story is one of courage, a clarion call to the media's power in fostering community engagement. Join us as we pay tribute to a man whose wings may have folded but whose spirit soars in the echoes of change he championed.
Lastly, we contemplate the future of activism, and the necessity for influential voices, like the original Black Eagle, to guide our communities towards greater unity and resolve. It's not about passing the torch; it's about igniting a multitude of flames to light the way forward. We reflect on the fine art of the interview, our duty to challenge without seeking permission, and the strategies that shape movements like boycotts and hunger strikes. We're here to stir the pot, to provoke thought, and to inspire action—join us for a journey through the complexities of leadership, legacy, and the unyielding pursuit of justice.
Welcome to the Doral McLean show. I'm your host, doral McLean. Today is 2 2, 2024, february. You're listening to episode 386 and let's get into our episode today. We're gonna make this somewhat Quick. We're gonna talk about jobs, we're gonna talk about Mexico and drugs, we're gonna talk about the house and we're gonna talk about Iran and what it looks like to read the retaliation looks like, and so let's get this thing going.
Speaker 1:So the numbers have come out for today, and the US has added 353,000 jobs for the month of January, and that was soaring past expectations. Now the unemployment rate clocked in at 3.7%, according to the data released Friday by the Labor Department. January jobs report far exceeded the gain of 185,000 jobs and the 3.8% unemployment rate expected by economists. Pulled by the Wall Street Journal Quote the labor market is the little engine that could, and it kept chugging away in January. 353,000 net jobs is a strong start of the year, higher than already impressive average monthly job gain of 255,000 for 2023, said John Lear, chief economist, at the morning console. The first look into the 2024 labor market comes as President Biden ramps up his economic pitch ahead of his potential rematch. We inform our president, donald Trump, who seems to be closing in on the Republic of presidential nomination.
Speaker 1:After winning the IACACA, his sis and the New Hampshire primary last month, biden and Trump have spent weeks sparring over the economic records and the state of the United States economy. Consumer confidence in the economy has it is highest level in more than two years, according to surveys released by Gallup and the conference board this week. But Americans aren't sold on Biden's handling of the economy just yet. So 28% of Americans rated the economy as excellent or good, according to Pew Research Center of of 5,000 of 140 adults um, and that was on january 16th and that was released on sunday. So the that's a nine percent increase from april 2023, and that is primarily driven by democrats and democratic leading independent voters, but far below pre-pandemic levels. The share of Americans who rated the economy as excellent or good was 57 percent and january of 2020, when donald trump was president, though that rating fell 23% in april of 2020 when the pandemic shut down large swaths of the united states economy. Now, biden's overall approval ratings remain negative at 33 according to the Pew Research Center survey, and that is unchanged from december. Trump currently has a 1.6 point lead In a hypothetical matchup with biden in november, according to a polling average by the decision desk, hq, and that was coming from the hill on thursday afternoon, inflation and high rise prices remaining, uh, the top of the mind, naturally, of many voters.
Speaker 1:Now the federal reserve held interest rates at a range of 5.25 to 5.55 percent on wednesday as it waits for a greater confidence that inflation was under control. I don't think it's likely that the commitment will reach the level of confidence by the time of march. Meeting said fair chair Powell, and he said that as a news conference following the announcement. The stunningly strong jobs report Will keep a march rate cut off the table and raise questions about how soon the fed will actually bring rates down. When you combine strong job tropes and consistent wage versus with falling inflation, the outlook for consumers over the first half of the year is encouraging, so encouraging that it feels less appropriate to cut interest rates before seeing some evidence of a moderate moderation in economic activity.
Speaker 1:And, lear said, moving right along, the house has passed a tax bill and it heads to the senate to face the. A GOP buzz saw a Bipartisan tax relief that passed with the overwhelming majority and the house is headed for the senate where republicans are threatening to block it. So senate republicans angry that they were cut off from negotiations between the senate finance committee chair and houseways and means committee chair. Now they say the bill would make the child tax credit available to tens and thousands of migrants who are being paroled in the country by the biden administration. Uh, so they. They also argue that most of the benefits delivered through the expanded child tax credit would flow out into the form Of cash welfare instead of tax relief for working families, undermining the welfare reforms enacted in the mid 90s.
Speaker 1:And they said could add nearly 40 billion dollars to the federal deficit over the next decades. Now most of the problems that have been identified from our standpoint have been On the child tax credit side, and this comes from the senate republican whip, john thune. He said there's a significant expansion of summer provisions, including Delinking the ctc from the work requirement, which gives a lot of our folks heartburn. Students said the bill should go through the finance committee or should be an open amendment process on the floor to allow republicans a chance to change the bill. He said the legislation won't get 60 votes as needs to advance on the floor of the senate and majority leader truck schumer. New York blocks the focus from a chance to offer and vote on amendments to the bill. We need the process that allows for some amendments to try to tweak and fix some issues, he said without amendments. Toon warned it won't get 60 on that. So dooms comments poured cold water on prospects of the senate passing the house legislation Known as the tax relief for america. Families, workers act quickly. The house passed 78 billion dollars tax package overwhelming for 157 to 70.
Speaker 1:On Wednesday evening the stiff opponents, opposition from the senate republicans set to stage for another majority and another major clash which speaker mike johnson, who praised the legislation as an important bipartisan legislation to revive a conservative, pro-growth tax reform, senator tom tillis, however, the republican From north carolina and a member of the senate finance committee, said he founded ironic. The house republicans voted for a bill that would pay benefits to hundreds of thousands of migrants being paroled into the country and he noted at the same time that the house GOP leaders are threatening to defeat this, a senate border security deal that would have a number of migrants being let into the country Pold. I have been convinced that we will have significant numbers of checks going to families with children who are illegally present, he said. Why that would be lost on republicans in the house is just shocking. Tillis argued that blocking the senate border deal will wind up increasing the base of people who have entered the country illegally. Who will be eligible for the expanded child tax credit. It makes no sense to me, he said. I don't know why we would do it now. Tillis also criticized the pay For the negotiations used to get a favorable score from the joint committee on taxation, which judged it won't add a substantial To amount to the federal debt. It's a fake pay for, he said, on the proposal to crack down on the fraudulent payments Of covid air employee retention tax credit, the congressional budget office s amazed. The bill would add 400 I'm sorry, 44.7 billion dollars to the federal deficit. Now, that is from 2024 to 2033.
Speaker 1:Senator mint romney, republican from utah, raise alarms over the fiscal impact of the bill. Quote if you look over a long period of time, it's very, very expensive. I would far rather see child tax credits paid for, he said. Adding more and more spending is getting us deeper and deeper into the hole is going to be hard to ever get out of. Now whiting Then, who negotiated the bill with the house republicans counterpart during the second half of 2023 pushed back on some of the republican criticism.
Speaker 1:He argued the language expanding the child tax credit is largely the same as what was included in then president trump's 2017's tax cut and jobs act. The language here is exactly the language that was in the law six years ago with the trump tax bill. He said lots of republicans voted for that. He said that the bipartisan vote for the bill in the house Changes the the complexion of the debate, because it's been a long time since there have been a bipartisan Tax bill around here. He also punched back on the criticism of the joint committee of Taxations estimate that it won't add much to the deficit. We're using official sources from the uh joint committee of taxation. Everybody is speculating. The tenure cost is this? I said come on, this is a three-year bill, he said, noting that the official jct scores estimate that the benefits of the less legislation are divided roughly equally between families and businesses.
Speaker 1:Now senator mike Uh croppa from Idaho, the top ranking republican on the finance committee, who was left out of negotiations, is not on board with the bill and says the senate GOP sources. He said he's aware that republican colleagues are upset at the prospects of the child tax credit going to the children of Perot migrants, but he said he's more focused on the absence of strong work requirements. I made it clear that I have concerns with the watering down of the work requirement, he said, and he doesn't support requiring a pay for the offset for the cost of business tax breaks, even though bell republicans critics argue it's just a gimmick. I don't believe pro growth tax policies should be subject to Offsets. We've never done that. He said so.
Speaker 1:Senate republican staff informed a senior aide to the house majority leader, steve scalise, in a meeting last week that many senate republicans viewed the house bill as trash, according to a GOP aide familiar with the discussion. The aide cited the lack of the work requirement for the child tax credit, the availability for the child tax credit to go to migrants being paroled in the country and the political boost it would give president biden Before the election. The aide noted that the then speaker of the house, nancy belosi, the democrat from california, blocked a stimulus bill that republicans tried to pass to help then president trump's reelection bid Against joe biden now. Pelosi At the time argued that a 300 billion dollar economic relief bill senate republicans Wanted to pass but not address the needs of her constituents. So some senate republicans are also criticizing the bill for being overly generous to huge companies that rely on debt financing to run their operations, such as anhyzer bush, apple, ford, at&t and Verizon, to name a few examples. The legislation would increase the Interest deduction limitations which some republicans critics argue would sever a an and serve as a disincentive for big companies to raise capital inside of equity markets.
Speaker 1:So this is a story if from the World War international thing. It was in the latino section Of the hill, but I think it's something that, if true, definitely has repercussions that are not just Um about latino people. So, in any rate, the reports of drug money In mexican politics have started to shake up relations with the united states. So the us Mexico relations were rattled wednesday by reports of a drug enforcement administration investigation into drug money connections to mexican president andreas manual lopez.
Speaker 1:Areados 2006 campaign. Now three districts reports um and they um came and when they were published by pro-publica, insight crime and Ducha welly dw. And they expanded on a previous allegation that Lopez are relolo. Aids took millions of dollars from drug cartels in 2006 in exchange for a promise of law enforcement if he came to power. Lopez, on wednesday and thursday, rallied against the reports alleging a state department led media conspiracy against him. In the case of the united states, the department and the agencies. I have a lot of influence in the management of media and also here, but there is no proof. They are vile slanderers, although they are rewarded as good journalists, he told reporters at his daily press conference on wednesday.
Speaker 1:Now the reporters brought to surface old grievances that Lopez has against his political rivals in the united states at a time when president biden has been actively courting the um, the mexican president, for cooperation on migration and enforcement. So the dw report alleges that Lopez placed a thank you call to edgar the valdez Villa rara, a us citizen known as a la barbie, who at the time led the uh Bellatrain levy organization, for facilitating contributions between two million and four million to his campaign. Now the bellatrain leving uh organization at the time was allied with the Sinaloa cartel under the umbrella group named la federation Pro publicly and the inside crime reported that the dea never established whether the candidate, lopez or dura, knew about the scheme, but all three reports, produced independently of one another, conveyed essentially the same story that dea agents carried out an investigation that placed Lopez or lando's longtime aide, nicole malandino, at the center of the scheme to receive campaign contributions from la barbie. The investigations were overseen by the senate activity, the review committee, so that's the as s a r c, where the department of justice is the doj and the dea officials direct politically sensitive operations. In 2011, shortly after Lopez or lando lost his second presidential election and the former president and rickie pin natto s a r c pulled the plug on the malandino investigation. Now pinito, then the frontrunner, was seen as less accepting of us Mexico security corporations than the former president, felipe carlin drones under which two countries side a the uh marida invita, an initiative to jointly combat drug trafficking. Now the attitude, according to reporters, made us officials less bullish about pursuing an investigation tied to Lopez ardela, a major political figure in mexico. In the 21st century one would hope that we have been building, starting in 2006, but mainly in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks against the us of 2001, which was, I think, the big transition in the moment in security and intel relations between Mexico and the united states that the type of relationships that we need today sent after Sharkin, who served as colorados 2006 foreign affairs campaign advisor and the mexican advisor to the united states from 2007 to 2013.
Speaker 1:But following recent reports, lopez ardelino railed against, railed against the deep and security cooperation, implying that the uh Garnault garse luna and colorado's now convicted former top official, uh top security official ran the mexican government uh drug During the colorado's term. About the dea, other agencies involving themselves in mexican politics. Of course they involve themselves and more than they were allowed, as it happened precisely during the government of I don't know whether they say calderon or garse luna. Then they entered the country and they did whatever they wanted. So that doesn't happen anymore, and that's has them angry now. That was uh something that lopez said in a statement on wednesday.
Speaker 1:So garse uh luna, in 2023, was convicted Of receiving bribes and using his position to aid the sena lua cartel. In that case, his lawyer describes as built on a backs of some of the most notorious and ruthless criminals to testify in the courthouse. Lopez are uh our dea Colorado and the officials in his administration celebrated garcia luna's conviction, portraying him as proof that dea carladrone's lopez Uh arc nemesis was corrupt. So, days ahead of the three reports on the 2006 campaign, the mexican attorney general revived an old case the assassination of mexican presidential candidates uh lulus Dula la calisthenio in 1994, naming a security agent who was then named, under garcia luna's command, as an alleged second shooter. Uh sharkoon called the attorney general's news revelations a smoke and mirrors operation To distract from the stories, all of which had reached out For the comment from lopez or neno's office on several occasions. So, um, this is a big deal that there's the. There's an informal question and I do not accept what is for the government of the united states to manifest itself, because the president of mexico has moral authority over political authority and if they don't have proof then they have to apologize, he told reporters. Now the justice department has officially touted law enforcement corporations with mexico and Fully. It's a very tingly about this statement that they said they fully respect Mexico's sovereignty and we are committed to working shoulder and shoulder with mexican partners To combat drug cartels responsible for so much death and destruction of both of our countries. It is our standard practice not to comment On the existence of any particular investigation, our investigative activity. We consistently follow strict internal protocols and oversight for handling all sensitive international investigations, a spokeswoman said.
Speaker 1:Now lopez Uh on thursday complained that the by the administration is turning the page was not enough, since the reports were sourced To the several us official. Now, though, lopez said the allegations and the reports are untrue and amount to liable, calling pro-publica's tim golden a mercenary at the service of the da. He declined to call for charges against the outlets, our reporters involved. Now those accusations and lopez ordered his position that the reports were somehow engineered by the us government, could threaten the bilateral cooperation may growing democratic concerns about the role of migration In the 2024 president's election. President biden this is uh being said by lopez. President biden should know about this, because how are we going to be sitting at the table talking about Combating drugs? If they are, if they are one of the institutions Of theirs are leaking information and hurting me, not me, what I represent. He said Mexico, like the us, is facing a presidential election this year and though lopez can't run for reelection, he is pushing for his chosen successor, farmer mexico city mayor, claudia claudina Shabu-ming, to win in june. So the opponents are the opposition candidate Uh, I can't pronounce this name, but it's x-o-c-h-i-t-l.
Speaker 1:Galvez on wednesday took lopez At his word. Galvez called the golden, a very prestigious journalist, but said lopez, our door should open a criminal complaint in the united states if he believes the reports are uh, libelous. It's a very grave accusation against the head of the mexican state. He said he is obligated to present a criminal complaint before the united states because they're accusing him, the head of the mexican state. So A very big deal Coming out of the us-mexico relations if they're basically saying that the President himself of mexico is involved in that. Basically, what is a drug cartel and, if he is involved, are being paid for the drug cartel.
Speaker 1:The insinuation is what type of things is he looking away from when they, when he actually got to power, if they gave money to his campaign, uh, what did they give the money for? Like we know, when it comes to All politics, when people give you big amounts of money, they're not giving it to you because they like you. They're giving it to you because they want something in return. So we're gonna be right back with more on the derailment claim show. So welcome back, guys.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna speak a bit from the heart for a second. Yeah, because I have just received the news that Joe madison, who was known as the black eagle, who was the award-winning radio legend, died Following a long battle with prostate cancer. Um, one of the reasons that I can Um have friends from all walks of life, different political backgrounds, different religious backgrounds, different ideologies, is because when I grew up as a young in in jacksonville, florida, I regularly, from a very young age, listen to talk radio, uh from rushland ball, who died at the age of 70 from lung cancer, to uh new boards, to Bill O'Reilly, to shot hannity on the left. It was bill press, e&l, um tom hartman, uh, sam cedar venere. America was around and I Regularly here Differing opinions. You know Dr Michael Savage was around, that you know back then we're writing all these his books Liberalism is a mental disorder, etc.
Speaker 1:I remember Rush Limbaugh. At one time there was a station where Rush Limbaugh used to do his show first and Bill Press used to come on after the Rush Limbaugh show and Basically In his show he would debate what Rush Limbaugh just said doing his debunking. One person or that uh Did this and was one of the best, in my opinion, to ever pick up a microphone was Joe Madison. Joe Madison did not just talk the talk, he walked the walk. He would do things like rigorly Do hunger strikes Because he would be trying to get attention to an issue and and you know that that's what he did.
Speaker 1:Joe Madison is credited by many for single-handedly making the United States pay attention to slavery, modern-day slavery that was happening in Places like Sudan. He Was somebody who vigorously believed in In local and national politics, believed in voting. He was a NAACP member, a board member, one of the youngest I think. He got it when he was 24 years old when it first happened and when you would call his show. He would vigorously debate you on issues and if you had a problem with something, he would sometimes famously say what are you going to do about it? Because that's the type of person that he was. He was not just a broadcaster, he was not just a radio host. He was what can be called a radio activist, because he actually came out of that studio several times and Engaged in doing the work. So Joe Madison was was the lefts version of Somebody with a towering figure, like a rush limbaugh would be for the right, like I said, a war-winning radio legend. He was in the radio Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1:So he died Tuesday following a battle with prostate cancer at the age of 74. His family put out a statement that says with his with heavy heart, we announced the passing of our beloved husband and father, joe Madison. He passed away peacefully at homes surrounded by family. The Family said of the statement in a social media post Madison was a social activist Known as the black eagle, who worked for a serious accent urban view for 15 years. In a family statement there and supporters who continue to be proactive in the fight against injustice Per journalism comm Madison on December.
Speaker 1:I've spoken candidly about my diagnosis to encourage more men To prioritize a health and to talk with their health providers about testing and treatments. As Dis Gregory Dick Gregory once told me, don't let fear get in the way. Now news one reports Madison was diagnosed your process cancer in 2009. Following treatment, he went into remission, but unfortunately, last December he announced that the cancer had returned. Per journalism, don Lamont wrote on Sunday the Washington Post. Black men have a higher rate one in six and some veterans also have a higher propensity to develop the disease. We lost a true friend.
Speaker 1:Yesterday, fellow radio veteran Donnie Simpson said on Twitter Joe Madison, the black eagle, who was a radio legend or freedom fighter. He was committed to the issues that affected black America as anyone I have ever known. Madison's radio career spanned more than 40 years. In 2019, he was inducted into the radio hall of fame for his outstanding achievements. Serious satellite radio Put out a statement and said it is with heavy hearts we announced the passing of. I'm sorry, I'm not gonna read that again. That's just a statement from their family, so journey. He also served as the NAACP's National Political Director from 1978 to 1986, so we're going to Be trying to remember the life and legacy of the legendary radio hosts, joe Madison, who has now Transitioned to be one of the ancestors as he has passed away at the very young age of 74.
Speaker 7:All of them are Joe Madison has passed away. He passed away peacefully last night. He did battling a recurrence of prostate cancer. We will talk about how critical the black eagle was to African Americans a long time radio show hosts on WOL Out of Washington DC, later with serious XM radio, and so we will dedicate this entire show to the black eagle right here. Time to bring the ball. I'm rolling my time filter with black star network.
Speaker 7:Let's go news one now. He a huge, huge voice, long time NAACP board member. He has known folks all across the country, all across the world. He was very much involved in fighting modern-day slavery and the Sudan. He announced a couple of months ago that he was not coming back on the air. It takes a time away because he had a recurrence of prostate cancer. He had previously battled prostate cancer and it came back on the number 14 when I had my birthday. Joe let us know that he was definitely going to be there but because of his illness he was unable to come and the statement came from his family that he passed away peacefully last night. So many folks obviously know about the black eagle. We heard him on serious XM radio every single morning. Those of you in Washington DC, listen to him on WOL AM radio as AM as well.
Speaker 7:He was an absolute legend in this business and again, we are saddened to report the passing of Joe Madison. Remember what? Several months ago Joe was on the show talking about his book. He is someone whom we often I mean look, we went so many places. He and I were always together doing something. He and I have seen different events together and so he. I mean, this is certainly just so just shocking news for so many of us who knew him well. My parents are they Dr Greg card, the Park of Afro-American studies at Howard University, reese Colbert she is a host, the Reese Colbert show on serious XM radio and also long Victoria Burke, black press, usa out of Arlington. I Want to start. I'm gonna start with you, greg. There are very few people who earned the title of being an institution, being a legend, and when you talk about Talk show host, we talk about black talk show host. Joe Madison absolutely was one of the best.
Speaker 8:You are, condolences to his family, to you, to everyone in the truth-telling media. Joe Madison is a generational link and so his ascension to ancestor who it really really speaks to. You know the strength of that chain. I mean, you know and I know, with the Ark of today and probably tomorrow There'll be a lot of you know, you'll cover a lot of this and have a lot of people talking about him, so I'll keep this brief. I mean you know dating, born, came through Detroit, even Philly. You know WWDB in Philadelphia, before Taking, in some ways, the metaphorical baton from P D Green and others in the 60s and 70s when he joined WL. And then, when you know, galactic and serious exam, which you know, joe Madison, as he said, he and you know we talk about now His book that you said, the whole interview you had with him and he's showing it there.
Speaker 8:Joe Madison walked the talk. I mean here's a guy who broke the record for having the longest uninterrupted stretch hosting on the air and in use that basically two-day period to raise a quarter million dollars for the African-American Museum, the Smithsonian. You know he enters war-torn Sudan, goes to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. I mean the accolades going on and on and we know we'll talk about all of those things, but ultimately, you know, when Joe Madison was on the air Beating up people, call it on, call a period, your medicine show and, of course, following any type of people complaining, I said we need this, our people need your matters. Like what you gonna do about it, what are you going to do about it? The black eagle is a loss that can't be replaced, but ultimately, that's why you're here. That's why those we have him as comrades and a model now are here, because this thing has to continue and there's no fighter model in how to do it than Joe Madison.
Speaker 7:Receive. He was one of your colleagues at serious at some radio and look.
Speaker 5:Everyone there he was a beloved figure at serious XM and especially among African-Americans was shows there.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, you put it right an institution, a trailblazer, who opened up the door for so many of us at urban view.
Speaker 4:I mean, I feel like a First small person to compare to Joe Madison, a giant colleague is that that honors me by even colonists, colleagues.
Speaker 4:I remember my first time in the studio for my own show it was across the hall from the black eagle, which is his own fortress at serious XM or serious XM studios in DC. You got to be badged in and it just, it, just, it's bigger than life and I just think that his legacy is so enduring, so important, and it's not I don't even want to say legacy, as though it's the past is still Living and breathing through the institution that he has helped pave the way for, and so this is devastating news Urban view really does feel like a family all of the hosts who love each other, we support each other, we uplift each other and, and everything that I do, everything that you know, my, my number one colleague at Urban view, clay Kane, does you know, people always, always bring up and uplift Joe Madison to us, and so my deepest condolences go to Joe Madison, all of his supporters, the urban view family, you as well, roland, because this is a huge, devastating loss.
Speaker 7:I Lauren, when you talk about many of the major events in the Black community, joe Madison was always there, whether it was MCing various events, whether it was covering broadcasting live. I mean, he was one of the people that Black America looked to speak to the issues and to be there to cover the major events that impacted Black America.
Speaker 10:Yeah, it's a really sad thing to think about the timing of all this. Obviously, the news business is going through a transition right now that I think is incredibly bad, and Joe Madison represented old school journalism in the public interest and particularly for the Black community, and very focused journalist who was asking the tough questions that need to be asked In an era of key keying and not really being focused on what's serious. At a time that fascism is on the rise in the United States, I think his loss is particularly ill timed. It would have been ill timed at any time, but right now we need more people who are like him, people who are serious about what they're doing and who are asking the serious questions. So this is a really huge shock. I actually met him on your show, Lauren. I'm trying to remember the last time that I saw him I almost want to say CBC week, but I can't quite remember. So it's a big shock. It's a huge shock and it's really something. As Greg said, somebody can't be replaced.
Speaker 9:To that particular point.
Speaker 7:It is difficult because we are many ways we are not going to make sure that we're.
Speaker 5:Ai supported this show and every time he would give to the show, we would joke in.
Speaker 7:English, he would pull out $100 and give it to me. Although I think about it, the last time I saw him was at the DM award the name of the DM award at the police state.
Speaker 5:I can't remember it was last year and I told him to drop me off and we were in the in my alligator and we were laughing and talking about like it's like on media and I'm him and his wife.
Speaker 5:Jerry had moved in the warfare area. Joe was like he actually did, but the thing is that the show was absolutely supported. That generation, that was no ego, it was a competition. It always Tell me how much. Oh, it's a lot of patterns. It's great. I don't think we can overstate. I would point that in. It's great. That brotherhood, that sisterhood, that is dangerous when anything is possible.
Speaker 7:A long time. We would not allow who encouraged, who encouraged that generation and who Would really become a left-wing and share His platform, and that's a lot.
Speaker 8:That really gives the. That's really the meat of it Growing. I mean Watching the two of you all interact. I remember this was Maybe about 13, 14 years ago. It might have been the first time I met Joe Madison. It was at Sidney Rubo, his annual party, president Howard, then President Howard At his house and Bernie Sanders Was engaged in that Long filibuster. That was December, I guess 2010, 2011, I forget, but anyway and I the filibuster and come to the party. I'm like Is anybody watching this filibuster?
Speaker 8:Joe Madison, I believe you, nobody else was talking about it and I remember being struck by the fact that this is somebody Analyzing what's going on In real time, and I never encountered him. It's like being with you. Never encountered him when it's not about the business and the humility Is at the center of it, and not only the willingness but the eagerness To support everybody Him and Dick Gregory so close, of course. You know you would see them together. And then, of course, when Bob and Dick passed, and you know, here's Joe Madison In the middle of those rituals and everything, but thinking about the fact that he was so humble and moved so circumspectly that you could Leave a conversation with Joe Madison, thinking, damn, that's Joe Madison, but it didn't hit you this Joe Madison. He's so matter of fact about it. I mean, here's a guy who went on a hunger strike.
Speaker 8:While he was fighting prostitutes, the first time Someone in his diet. We got to get this bone rights legislation passed and it's like so you really could put it All on the line and you could leave a conversation and say this was the first time, this was the first person From the United States Radio journalist To broadcast in Cuba In over two generations, 50 years. But it wasn't about the accolades. And then finally and we see Listening to you thinking about serious and you know I talked a minute ago With Karen Hunter, of course, over there you know thinking about that generation, that next generation, the Roland Martins, the Karen Hunters and so many you know. Not only did Joe Madison Support all of y'all, he was like we have to work together.
Speaker 5:And he didn't just say it at his mouth.
Speaker 8:When all these people Claimed the day for black people and I'm not gonna name any names Byron, allen and others who you know what? Joe Madison put it when the goats could get it and put his money where his mouth was and put his life when his rhetoric was. You can't fake working together. It can be very difficult at times, but the black eagle Wasn't flying above everybody else. His thing was I'm just like you, and when you hear my voice, you hear your voice, and that's why he urged us To greatness. And now, in the wake of his passing, I think we have to continue to do that. We can't afford, as you said, lauren, we can't afford not to model his effort. Even as he made a transition On the first day of Black History Month, the man went to the other side in style. So I mean he's giving us Instruction on the way out. We got to work together. Now, hey guys, welcome back To the Royal Point Honor Filters.
Speaker 7:This is the statement that was Released by the family Joe Madison on his website. Is with a heavy heart that we announced the passing Of our beloved husband and father, joe Madison. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family. Joe dedicated his life to fighting For all those who are undervalued, underestimated and marginalized On air. He often posed the question what are you going to do about it? Although he is no longer with us, we hope you will join us in answering that call by continuing to be proactive In the fight against injustice. The outpouring of prayers and support Of the last few months lifted Joe's Spirits and strengthened us as a family. We continue to ask for privacy as we gather together to support each other Through this difficult time. That was from the family of Joe Madison when he made the announcement Reesey that he wasn't coming back.
Speaker 7:I was at the White House. I was in the White House when I left there. They had got a call. I reached out to Joe, didn't talk to Joe at the family, Sent him a text and let them know that Vice President Kamala Harris Was reaching out. A few weeks ago she did call Joe, talked to him. I'm not familiar with the conversation. I do know by raging that they actually had that conversation and learned her staff of the news. I'm sure we will be seeing a statement From her shortly.
Speaker 4:Such a great affection for the Black Eagle, did his show multiple times, I believe as Vice President as well. She did his show in addition to when she was a senator before that. It doesn't surprise me at all that she would reach out. From the times she reached out To me at various milestones or occasions that she's the person who's Incredibly compassionate and a very soothing and affirming voice. I'm glad she made that effort and honored him. I look forward to seeing what she has to say To honor Joe Madison publicly.
Speaker 7:When we talk about being one and supporting each other. Lauren, when I was calling out the Speaker of the House, nancy Pelosi, for her failure to do interviews With Black on media, I called Joe, told him that I was what I was doing Calling out on the show, posting on social media where's Nancy? And he told me I've been asking for years and they won't book her on the show. And then he said that I would see her and I would say when you come on the show, people would never actually get it done.
Speaker 7:So the next morning Joe goes on the air, goes on the air and he tells them what I was doing, calling out Nancy Pelosi. Literally His phone rings and his Pelosi staff and she was on his show in 48 hours and he called me and he said he said man, he said they were clearly listening and they immediately booked her on the show. He said so appreciate you calling her out. And I never got the interview with it. She did one with Joe and they were crying and they said hey, I've been trying for two years and here's the deal. I didn't get it. But again that was Joe Saying I'm a ride with you, I'm going to call them out too On the air.
Speaker 10:It really just goes to show you. His show was the last of the Trying to think of somebody who's comparable. I guess if we get into numbers it was A moment where you realize Numbers don't match the level of seriousness that he was seeing as somebody that Could move opinions and was an influencer in a much more serious way Than a lot of the influencers that we see now and To what he used to always say about. What are you going to do about it? You're making that statement All the time In an era where people, I think, have fooled themselves into believing that talking or just being On some platform that may have some numbers mean something. And you know Joe was Greg really stole my thunder In his last comments.
Speaker 10:Joe was a telebike. It is type of guy, a blunt, no BS type of guy, and he my favorite thing about him is that he came along 40 years ago Before the real influence of corporate, before corporate influence Really started to impact the media, and he kept with that His entire career. You can see corporate influences impact on the media All over the place the subjects that don't get discussed, things that get ignored, and obviously for black radio that has been disappearing over the years. He became a more important platform With that. So that story it does not surprise me because I'm sure that Pelosi's office Recognized you know exactly On how serious it is to be on his Show and it's hard to. It's hard to imagine who fills that Spot. I would guess that Karen Hunter probably comes the closest, but it's just something that we're missing a lot of the platforms that we see out there as a really sort of Serious bringer of issues and who's serious like all the time and is not trying to blend entertainment or infotainment With hard issues. And that's the thing about Joe.
Speaker 7:Mark Thompson Joins us now on rolling mark On. The filtered mark had texted me earlier and then about 15 minutes later With the confirmation About the passing of Joe, and Mark alluded to this. We were all often In the same places at the same time, so if I wasn't In seeing something with Joe, you likely were, and so we were all running the same circles.
Speaker 5:Where is it? Others have shared Good to see Greg and.
Speaker 9:Rory Sanlar and not other. These circumstances, of course, you know doing our co-workers For years, first at radio one, at WL, and then at series 6, and we all were often In the very same places Covering the same events and the same stories and and also often In seeing many events. I had heard I had reached out to Joe A few months ago. I had texted him and he didn't respond right away, which was somewhat unusual, but we're all busy. I had no idea that the prostate cancer would come back and when I texted him he always liked to keep up With my son. You know, joe was an athlete and a college athlete and if there was one young person I think Lauren talked about his support of young people there was one young person he really believed in and I had texted him about Some of my son's College athletic exploits and he didn't respond right away. But you know I figured he was busy, no big deal. And then I learned, like everybody else, that he was off the air and he was dealing with this return Of the prostate cancer. And so you know, one of the things that's very painful For me at this hour is it would be In any one of these situations. I was Literally making plans To be in DC next week anyway, and so I was going to do what I could To get to Sijia and the clock ran out and the good Lord Called him home to glory. And so we know this where he is.
Speaker 9:Joe and I had a lot of experiences together, probably over at least A role in at least the past 30 years, not only going back to working together At WL to getting there when that was just two or three stations, not all the stations it is today. We were With the Gregory In a lot of the movements. We went to jail At the CIA around the crack and particle cane Issued that the CIA was involving. We were with Maxing Waters, we were with Gary, we were with San Jose Mercury news Standing up against that, because we knew what Reagan had done in turn In terms of bringing Bringing that back to, bringing that story back To the forefront. And so this is a loss, because he wasn't just a radio host. He used to call himself a radio activist and that's exactly what he was.
Speaker 9:And then Joe's longevity Going back to being an organizer For the NAACP in Detroit, and he was a great. He was a great, he was a great leader For the NAACP in Detroit, the influence he had there. In fact, another reason I had reached out to him Frankly now that I recall Was that a mentor Of his In Detroit had actually passed away, a brother by the name of Duke, and someone that Joe Looked up to a great deal and who was very supportive of him as he came along and he was on the board of the NAACP For a number of years. And when I called you earlier this evening and if there was In transparency, if there was something that was Texted to me and to Ionik, gregory Dick's daughter, but we didn't know and so we wanted to Hopefully confirm that it wasn't true. And then Robert Glengson of the NAACP Texted me that in fact it was a case where he came to me. I was just on the phone With Dr Benjamin Chavis. He had called about the news and of course they were both.
Speaker 9:Joe was on the board of the NAACP when Dr Chavis was named the head of the NAACP Back in the 90s, and so Joe had A very broad footprint In Our people's Strung. This is heavy, this is a big one. It's something. He is irreplaceable In all respects. We all are, but Joe's longevity in the struggle, joe being so prolific In so many ways. In the struggle he practically Coined and trademarked the term Underrepresented, undervalued and marginalized. He said that every day, the hunger strikes that he did with Dick Gregory I I wouldn't be a good hunger strikes Because I was afraid I was going to Pass out but Joe was Vigilant in all of those struggles and he will certainly be missed. My, my heartfelt love goes out to Sherry. Sherry who has been recirculating well from home. He helped struggles. God bless her, his children. Joe was a giant but we're thankful and we should all Not simply mourn but Be rest assured as to where he is. He's outrun us to glory and his service is crowned.
Speaker 7:We talked about his work With the NAACP. Joining us right now is the President of the Detroit Chapter the NAACP. I was glad to see you. I was glad to see you. I was sure you got A thousand Joe Madison stories.
Speaker 6:Being the role of the UN, and to your guests. First of all I want to thank my family and all of them and the radio Talk show Activist world who believed and understood and appreciated the work of Joe Madison. It is true, joe and I did have my own unique relationship With Joe Madison and I was a activist here in the city of Detroit. He was an NAACP baby. He was one of the, if not the youngest, executive director Of the Detroit branch In the NAACP In the country at the time. When he became that he was 24. We'd since been had another young lady who was Now kind of Surpassed that to the degree Of being the youngest. There's just something about Detroit. But Joe was always In house spoken voice. He was his own Independent Self.
Speaker 6:Interesting thing is that when I first started Running for the NAACP and now this is my 31st year as this president and so I hadn't planned on it it just as what has happened but Joe and I were on opposite teams. Joe was with the folk that opposed me and I mean they really Really, really Really opposed me. But we were successful and we won. Since that time, obviously, we had gotten Together and beat Our swords and spears Into Plow shares and crony books and he and I understood that we had much more in common than we did In conflict. He even Was bold back here In the day he worked with WXYZ Radio. He was on that station, am Station. He was talking stuff back then Along the racial and social justice Lines. A lot of folk could not handle and appreciate that At the time period, but it was real and he maintained that Even when he went to the other stations and later on found himself At serious Under the handle of the Black Eagle. And certainly I think the handle the Black Eagle Is illustrative Of who Joe Madison was and he is. He flew high, he looked low and saw those situations Of marginalized People. He exemplified the fact Of the Almighty that though you have done Get unto the least of these, you've done it unto me.
Speaker 6:Joe spoke up For people who could not speak For themselves. The NACP here in Detroit and elsewhere, particularly in Detroit and when he was on the National Board and I was on the National Board. I'm still on the National Board. We want to make sure that the organization Related Not just to corporate America but to Little folks in America. That's why the Organization came into being. We dealt with people who were being lynched. We had no education or rights and no one was able to do the Bound to respect. That's why we exist, that's why we came Into reality, and I think Joe was one that did not want us to Forget that. I think that On his show he talked about Things that Irritated and upset people, but he did that for a reason you know he didn't want to make you At ease In Zion, so to speak.
Speaker 6:He didn't want to Make you comfortable in your Misery and acceptable of your agony. He wanted to shake you Aloof from all of that. That's why he often said you know, now that we hear this, now that we know what time it is, what are you going to do? That is a Basic, fundamental Christian tradition. You know that Roland A burst in scripture. You know that it's not just important enough To hear the word. You have to Do something about the word. What are you going to do about it? Now that you know it? You can't escape it. A lot of folks want to hear it, but then they don't want to do Nothing about it.
Speaker 6:A lot of folks know we in a mess in America, but the question is what are you going to do About it? A lot of folks know we need. What are you going to do? That we need to have black Economic development In every area, but what are you doing To make sure that we have contracts and we have access and all those opportunities? And so I'm simply saying that Joe's voice Was, and is, extremely important. The question is, what are we going to do Now that that voice Is no more? Who's going to step up and articulate the concerns that Joe articulated when he Was behind that microphone? He didn't bow down, he did not Take prisoners Everybody wasn't comfortable with the way he talked and the way he moved and what he said.
Speaker 6:But he wasn't here to make you comfortable, he was here to make you uncomfortable. If you're comfortable, then you ain't Going to do nothing. Only the uncomfortable People get charged enough To move and to make society Uncomfortable enough so that society will move In a direction that it must. That's why John Lewis Talked about we need people to engage in good Trouble, good trouble, meaning that what you do.
Speaker 6:Has A positive effect In terms of what we need to do. And Joe talked About putting it where the goats Can get. I mean, that's high and goats go high. They own the premises of mountains and they don't need a whole lot of. Foundation. They just jump and move From place to place, so we need To do that as well. You know Rolling and to your listening audience that we got a hell of a job in Full.
Speaker 1:There are people that want to take us and put us back on the plantation.
Speaker 6:You know that. Well, I ain't going, I'm not looking right now I am not going. I'm one who believes in the song that I am such the same. Before I'd be a slave, I'd be burning my grave and going home to my Lord and breathe free. They didn't bring us this far plus a turn back now. And for people saying it ain't nothing to get engaged about, nothing to vote about. Nothing is going to change. You're missing the boat. Everything changed. Tanya Brown Jackson is a change. The folk that are in the cabinet of this man called Biden, with more black people? There is a change. Law and college tuition costs is a change. Healthcare expansion is a change.
Speaker 6:Raising your life from a demagogue who wants to decourt you and take every right from you that you've got is a change. Don't wake up on the day after and say, oh my God, what happened? I'm telling you. Now you must have to make sure that something bad and negative and crazy don't happen. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your children, do it for your grandchildren. Everybody got to get in this game, and I think that's what Joe was about. That's what the Eagle is about. The Eagle flies high but he sees real low and he knows that certain things can't go. God bless our brother, our friend, our comrade in the struggle. We thank him for living his purpose and his life shown with purpose. The question is what are you going to do with the purpose that you've been?
Speaker 7:given Slavery in the Sudan. I mean this was something that he did hunger strikes. I mean he pressed government officials, he went there, he helped free some folks who were enslaved. It was one of those issues that did not get lots of attention in this country but he made it a priority and made the other natural media outlets cover it.
Speaker 8:Yeah, and that's unfortunate. I know Mark knows a lot more about this than I do. I mean being on the ground with him. The Civil War in Sudan had stretched through the 80s into the 90s. The thug that was in charge of Sudan at the time, omar Sheik del Beshear since the opponent, was then gone. And of course, there's a new country, the newest country in Africa, south Sudan. Think about John Garang and the folks in South Sudan, the Dinka people in particular, dinka Newe Shillik, the Africans, those who have not been Arab-esized as such.
Speaker 8:And that war which saw the trafficking, human trafficking, particularly the trafficking of the government, the support of the government, these Jajwe people and others kidnapping African people by the thousands. And, of course, we've probably all heard, the region of Western Sudan. Then Sudan called Darfur and there were a number of people all over the world, christian missions, others coming in and quote unquote, buying the liberation of these people who were forced into service. And Joe Madison put everything on the line again A vast South. The UN was silent. Kofi Annan was the head of the UN at the time, a Ghanaian, the conventional, that Congress hadn't sent anything.
Speaker 8:And I remember there was an article in the Village Voice by Nat Hentoff, the famous jazz critic, back around 2001 called the Black Eagle Swoops into Sudan and Nat Hentoff said nobody's saying anything. But this Joe Madison guy has gone to Sudan, he's in Sudan, he's back and forth, he has helped liberate over 7,000 people of African descent and Joe Madison put some of these South Sudanese, some of these Sudanese young people, on the air on serious on his show and you hear him talking about that. And eventually Jesse Jackson made a statement and other folk came in. But the United States of America's geopolitics it wasn't necessary. They were in bed with this guy who was running Sudan and none of that didn't like the humanitarian crisis. But we know that politics in this country is most countries in the world trumps the moral cause and Joe Madison went right from the anti-parte movement to the movement to free those who were being enslaved in the Sudan. And that's just a basic overview. But as again, as I said, mark our brother knows much more about it than I do.
Speaker 7:Mark, think about that again. Why was Joe so focused on this issue that he made it a national priority?
Speaker 9:Well, I think one of the reasons he did so was because no one else was talking about it and, as we all know, when you start talking about Africa and news from Africa, tragically, there's not a lot of interest. There's enough news every day that we could have an Africa unfiltered with news 24 hours a day Now. I remember when Joe got involved in what was going on in the Sudan. Greg was right at the beginning. It wasn't popular, unfortunately, but he held his ground, he pushed the story and actually he made it into a story that no one could really ignore. And so you know, I've been saying to people lately that if everybody in or if I'm in the room full of people and everybody in the room picks just one aspect of our struggle and focuses on that one aspect, there will still be a million other issues and crises for us to address. And Joe picked this one, I think, quite frankly, because it was about our people in Africa. One two, because it was so largely ignored. I think he found something that he said I'm just going to do this, I'm going to amplify something that no one else is willing to amplify, and it helped raise a generation's conscientiousness about what's going on in the continent and right now, you know what's going on in Sudan is also tragic.
Speaker 9:What's going on in the Congo and different parts of Africa, what's going on in Haiti those issues aren't getting the coverage that they should. But, as Reverend Anthony said, who's going to step up in Joe Madison's place? Who's going to do what he did? This is the call now for others of us to take on some of these issues and amplify them. We're talking about Gaza. As important as that is covering Gaza wall to wall Hell. I just wrote a song about Gaza and my daughter said well, when are you going to write a song about the Sudan and the Congo? And she challenged me. I'm not a songwriter, but the point is that there are issues that are facing our people right now. Today, Joe is an example of covering those issues that were not popular and we need more Joe Madison's like that to cover, to protest, to demonstrate, to be active, to be activists around the issues that are affecting the continent, affecting the motherland.
Speaker 7:It's hard for some people to understand. And look, I totally get the radio shows out there that talk about the latest celebrity. And they talk about Nicanage Beefin with Meg Thee Stallion, people talking about the Cat Williams interview on Club Shae, shae talking about L'Orella or what somebody else is doing, and Joe and I used to always laugh because he was like I ain't got time for that crap. He said we got way too much important stuff and this is why you must have black folks behind microphones who are willing to talk about the stuff that others don't want to deal with. And it may not be sexy and it may not be trendy, but it's absolutely about life and death.
Speaker 4:It truly is, and there's an appetite for it. There's a huge appetite for black people to be treated like intelligent human beings who are citizens of not just the United States but of the world and want to be informed and want to be active and specifically engaged. And that is where Joe Madison really found a deep and devoted following, and he helped move the needle on so many important issues. And so it's important and it feels especially tragic to have this loss in 2024 and this important election year. We know how Joe felt about voting his hunger strike, as Dr Carr mentioned earlier, to get voting rights and with all of our rights under attack, or citizenship under attack, the biggest platforms that are getting attention black platforms are those who are ill-equipped to counter the white supremacy that's being platformed and normalized in their face, like the Breakfast Club, who had Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy and others on there.
Speaker 4:It's a shame, but, irrespective of what others do, we all who have a platform and Joe is the ultimate epitome of this have a responsibility, and we have the capability to tell the stories that aren't being told.
Speaker 4:We have the ability to move the needle. We have the ability to be thought leaders and not followers, not followers of what's trending, not followers of what the algorithm is saying people want to hear, but to actually push the conversations into the public sphere that need to be had and push politicians Because it's not about who has the most number of followers or who gets the most likes and retweets. It's about the people like the Pelosi's who are missing it getting this free political insight and commentary and advice that many of us give on black media to these politicians to better them and push them towards what needs to happen. We all have big shoes to fill. We can't replace him, but I think, as Lauren said, we have the blueprint to follow to make sure that we're having these important conversations not just what everybody is talking about, but what we need to be talking about.
Speaker 7:When Rob was sitting here, someone had sent me a text message, lauren, I think the last time. I mean, we've done lobbyist memorials. I've lost some great folks that I've known Harry Belafonte, richard Roundtree, randall Robinson and others but I told somebody I said, if you could last time that I actually shed tears it was when George Curry had passed away and knew him well. I was thinking about George and I was thinking about Joe and they knew each other well as well. I mean, these were two individuals One radio personality and actor was one journalist who were hardcore about the business, who were hardcore about telling our stories.
Speaker 1:That's what we have to have.
Speaker 7:We have to create the space for the next generation of voices who are serious about this, because we've got enough fluff out here. We've got to have avenues and individuals who understand why the news matters and who are willing to also challenge a black leadership.
Speaker 10:Yeah, absolutely. Joe Madison is definitely willing to challenge black leadership. It's hard to figure out sometimes whether this question of serious journalism versus celebrity as a chicken and egg proposition. A lot of people say that when people are going for web traffic and view counts on YouTube, you've got to have entertainment for that. But to your point, roland, about the Sudan issue not being sexy and not being trending, joe Madison made that issue trending. He single-handedly took an issue that nobody was paying any attention to and he just talked about it again and again and again. He put it on the forefront.
Speaker 10:To your point, the value of him being the person making that decision to make that issue a priority is what made that issue a priority. There's plenty of view hours out there for all sorts of topics, but what is certainly lacking in journalism today, as we see so many journalism platforms failing and cutting jobs, from the LA Times to the Messenger what's lacking is investigative, serious discussions about something that is life and death, like the Sudan issue. There are so many others out there. Again, joe Madison's form and style of journalism is exactly what we're missing and we need right now, and that's why this is a huge moment, a huge turning of the page and sort of an end of an era, at the exact time that journalism is really, I think, changing into something else.
Speaker 7:Indeed, Mark Thompson, I appreciate you joining us. We'll be checking with you the next few days as well as we get details with regards to funeral service for Joe. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Speaker 9:Let me just say one other thing. God bless all of you. Long live the spirit of Joe Madison. We don't remind everyone, Joe was from Detroit and so he was very close with all the folks in Motown, close with Queen Aretha Franklin. You were literally close with Dianne Ward.
Speaker 1:But then we have to remember there were the four tops.
Speaker 9:Joe was the honorary fifth top. That's how close he was to Levi Stubbs and the four tops and to the Motown team, so we got to lift that up. Joe Madison was the fifth top. Joe, we miss you. We love you. We just going to keep on holding up the bloodstain banner as long as we can.
Speaker 7:I'll see you in the morning brother this week on Washington Watch Robert Tray and host of Roll Call TV on the Comcast Network, deborah Mathis, always so shy and quiet. Blackamericanwebcom contributor, a new retired panel. Michelle Bernard, msnbc contributor and president of the Independent Women's Forum. And my dog, the black eagle. Joe Madison talk show host on serious XM radio. Folks, welcome to the show we're trying to have to haze you too much, michelle, we're all working on it for the first time Capitola this week and it's real tense.
Speaker 7:It's real tense Every time there was a vote or anything. When they came up, we were like I love to study the civil rights movement and what I thought was interesting and part of this whole thing we're doing Black Power, ebony Magazine is the whole focus on 2010,. It's a whole notion of Black Power. When I interviewed Reverend Al Shafi talking about staying in your lane, the beautiful civil rights movement is different. Folks stayed in their lane. That is, the Urban League had their role, nwcp had their role, legal defense had their role, sclc had their own lanes and then how things actually got done. The problem now is April. You have black organizations all trying to do everything education and healthcare and economics and civil rights and nobody seems to be just in their lane locking and loading and see, and that's the point.
Speaker 11:It's about education, but it's far more than that. We have so many disparities in the minority community, particularly the African American community. Education is the key to unlock the door to so many things. But at the same time you have disparities in prison populations, you have disparities in health. You have disparities all across the board in so many things. But here and jobs, particularly right now. But in talking to many civil rights leaders and black leaders that I do quite a bit. They are going through a shift right now with this new president and it's the same kind of situation back in 1963. African Americans are still looking for first class citizenship, although there is a black president. The shift is many of the black leaders said look, we have a black president, we're looking for that compassion that we didn't get from the other women, from the other presidents hold on a minute, Wait a minute wait a minute.
Speaker 6:They're saying we're looking for that compassion.
Speaker 7:But actually actually actually I'm not sure. Wait a minute, go into the next one. Wait a minute, I'm not sure we have a black issues. They are concerned.
Speaker 7:They're shifting. No, no, no. Here's the greater issue, and in our previous panel, we dealt with political power and President Obama. I think the problem in terms of the organizations is they don't know how to connect. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This generation See, this generation is sitting here saying I want to be involved, I want to be engaged, but it seems the organizations don't know how to necessarily connect with them, and so the reason the NAACP and the Urban League have been around for 100 years is because they have survived from generation to generation. Joe, the existing organizations, the larger ones, are they going to be possibly supplanted by groups that are coming up?
Speaker 2:They may not necessarily know about them, but we always had groups that have come up. I didn't look. 1968, naacp was as strong as it ever had been and you had groups that addressed different things. The Black Panther Party was. We've always had different groups address different things. Let's go back to this issue of power, integration. What is integration? Kane said it. It is the sharing of power, resources and responsibility those three things. Education and he hit it right on the head is the new currency of the globe. These communities that have the most educated people are going. The education is more valuable than gold.
Speaker 7:So should the organization's agendas be shifting and changing.
Speaker 5:Yes, we will. The generation and the same way. Who do you?
Speaker 7:think, out of all the ones out there who do you think are doing a good job, I think, before we look at Jeffrey Canada and what he's doing in Harlem, saying you know what we should be booting this brotherly what he's doing.
Speaker 2:And I'll tell you about the NAACP. Naacp they had a housing department. I ran their voter education department for years registering people to vote. We addressed the internet.
Speaker 1:They had an international department.
Speaker 2:They had a prison program. They have got to build their leadership.
Speaker 7:Well, that's a whole lot of history.
Speaker 5:It's all about power. It's all about power. It's all about power.
Speaker 11:But this goes back into the shifting of power About 15 seconds. Okay, the shift means that a lot of these organizations are trying to find their way in how to attack the issues of Black America. Going to this president, who happens to be black? No, they are. This is what they're telling.
Speaker 7:They're trying to find their way through this chair. It's just about the president. It is about the people. Everyone. But again, if you do not connect with the people, if you do not take the issues and connect with the people, then it does not matter who's in the White House. You will not be affected.
Speaker 5:Final comments. Final comments.
Speaker 2:We need a sense of militancy and activism in our community.
Speaker 1:And. I agree with that and, as it relates to education, if our kids aren't equipped, we cannot compete in the world stage.
Speaker 7:And to my militancy man, I want to see Ron Christian in a beret.
Speaker 10:It's a terrible time that this all happens. To listen to you guys discuss what you were just discussing on that whole show kind of gives me a bad feeling, because when I see a discussion, like that.
Speaker 7:That was 2010. Right, that was 2010,. Lauren, right.
Speaker 10:And it always is sort of remarkable that you hear a discussion like that you realize we're having some of these same discussions now, which of course tells you that not a whole lot of progress was made. But you know, a whole question of black leadership and what Joe was saying there is an interesting one because I think actually things have gotten a little bit worse because of the corporate nature of our leadership, in fact close, but at any rate, you know, obviously Joe will be missed and it's just hard to it's hard to think about him not being here to receive early a point in this particular election year where we know that there's going to be some consequential nudes this year, and not having him around for that is just huge, just huge.
Speaker 7:We see Joe Custerlott on his serious XM radio show and he actually had a cuss jar and so every time he would cuss he would have to put some money in that. So he would sometimes come in and put $100 in there and he said y'all know how about the let loose. I don't know if you're going to cuss jar on your show, but I say, with two things you and Joe had in common is serious XM radio and cussing.
Speaker 4:I will absolutely take that as a badge of honor. It was always the biggest compliment somebody could?
Speaker 4:give me that I was like the female Joe Madison. I don't know if he would agree, but I do remember somebody did call into his show and and and I mean I saw him in the halls of series. I had no idea who I was, even though of course I knew who he was and I had been on the panel when he was promoting radioactive. But they called in and they said you know, there's a woman on series XM who has a show who will be cussing, just like you, joe, and he seemed proud. He seemed very proud of that notion, and so I will at least at a minimum, fly that cuss and flag on the Urban View radios out here in these streets Because, as you put it so often, he reminded us that that, joe Madison, was about putting it where the goats can get it.
Speaker 4:And I think that, beyond the delivery itself, the important thing is reaching the people, and the important thing is not being sitting here just to pontificate and feel really good about yourself, because you just letting people know in your own way, if it doesn't reach the people, if they're not getting it, then you're just talking blowing hot air. So I think that is a lesson for many of us is to stay authentic, stay true, but also really respect your audience and bring them along with you. If you're not really reaching the people, then what are you doing? You know what I'm saying? That doesn't mean bring yourself down a level, because your audience is probably spawning and giving them credit for it, but it just means that that is the ultimate goal is to move people and to really resonate with people in a way that is going to make everything better for us, because we need each other. We can't do it alone in this environment.
Speaker 7:Dr Greg Carr. Joe Madison was well read. He was someone who was very highly intellectual, was a running buddy, dick Gregor. In fact, he led the fundraising efforts to get Dick Gregor his Hollywood Walk of Fame star. We were there in California for that event as well. I think I did a Q&A with Dick Gregory on stage. Just your final thoughts about the Black Eagle, joe Madison, now being an ancestor.
Speaker 8:Roland, just listening to this show, listening to you watching those clips I agree with Lauren it reminds me that Wade Nobles, the psychologist, once said that power is the ability to define reality and have other people accept your definition as it was theirs. We have the potential for power, but in order to get that power we have to do what Rishi said We've got to speak to the people and the people have to speak with us and listen to us and move together. Joe Madison wasn't intellectual. When we think about it in terms of continuity, you sit there talking with Mark. He's a different generation. It's good that you sing, but you sing. There just wasn't room to be picked up because he didn't get the time for what was the best. You know, joe Madison is of a generation just before you. And then you come along in mark, come along here, come, you know, recently in Lauren and to, and in that context we have to understand that there was no way to run and nowhere to hide.
Speaker 8:At one time in the black press. I was just reading the report back from the NNPA meeting in Florida. You know where is the black press today, with all due respect to you know again, the breakfast club and these other places. There are too many places to run and too many places to hide. That means now that the next generation, the rolling Martins and the Karen hunters, and and then the generation right behind them, the Clay Canes and the Reese E Cobriss and the print journalists who also do all other forms media, like the Lord Victoria Burks it's time now for continuity. We got to take away all the hiding places Because our open enemies defined their power by the ability to hide y'all.
Speaker 8:When Joe Madison came along, it wasn't no way to run, nowhere to hide. Nancy Pelosi gonna talk to me Okay, she's talking, rolling way, she's gonna talk to me. And rolling she's gonna talk to April. She's gonna what? Guess what? It's time out for these solo acts trying to push their brand. Joe Madison's about sacrifice and community, and now rolling Martin, unfiltered, becomes that much more important. It's time for some networking, some community, some coalition building. We got to take away all these places to run and hide because Joe Madison gonna fight for us on the other side, but he can't fight the battles we got to fight now in 2024. This could be for all the marbles. So it's more important now than ever and thank you, rolling, because nobody else is gonna do this, and that's part of the problem.
Speaker 7:Joe Madison is also one of the big-time stars of serious XM, has been been on their network for a very long time. He will also take how it was checked to, of course. For long time folks in DC heard him on WOL Radio. He of course has been on the front lines of so many issues, not just in the United States, fighting for, fighting for Sudan. A long time friend of the Gregory in WACP board member Talks about all of this stuff, his life in his book radio active, the subtitle. A member of advocacy in action on the air and industries and Joe is one of them. Black people who's a member of the brain the fuck fan club who put the money right in my hand, I tell us.
Speaker 2:This is real.
Speaker 7:I Did an interview, joe, yeah, and I actually, I think, was with a cap a boca, and I had them cry. I said y'all don't know what it's like when you travel around the country and you're in it, you in Tulsa, whatever, and somebody in like you're on there, it's money black, just walk up, they just go. But can I tell you they squeeze your hand and they go and I can.
Speaker 2:I tell you stories in the book. I Started a cuss jar because I heard Howard Stern Cuss a woman out. So I went to the president of serious exam and I said, can I do what Howard Stern does? He says, well, you know, I've heard just slip up every now and then and it's organic.
Speaker 1:I said, he said but sure.
Speaker 2:I said, no, whoa wait, man Howard's a six foot five white guy that you guys are paying a you know half a billion dollars to a more. And if I cuss out some white woman or white man, well you have my back. And he said, yeah, now I had my wife with me, who's the executive producer. She's always with me because she's the witness. And and we walked out and I said did he give me permission to do that? She said, oh, I think he did. So I started doing it and Every now and then little ladies would call up God bless them. Oh, mr Madison, you really shouldn't do that, you know. I said tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put a, I'm gonna put a dollar. And I first called it a swear jar, but then George Wallace said black folks don't swear because. And so I changed it to a cuss jar.
Speaker 2:Now this goes back to what you said about Pomin. Right, right, I'm at more house. We're doing a voter registration. Get out the vote drive. Afterward we're, you know, taking selfie. Right, folks stand up and the ministers? I walked out of there with $400 in cash and for the cuss jar, and most of the money came from ministers. They were like keep cussing. I can't cuss, but you are a surrogate cusser.
Speaker 7:I had a woman in Tulsa. She said, now rolling, I'm gonna give this money, but baby, can you, can you, can you just stop cussing? I said look. I said I know how you feel. I said but sometimes I said, look, some stuff, some stuff got to be said. The show is called unfiltered.
Speaker 2:I said I got to keep it real well and in the, in the reality, if you're gonna let Howard Stern do it, then you know You're talking about.
Speaker 7:I mean, I cuss now, I don't cuss like Reese's cuss. No, no, no, now Reese's yeah, reese's cuss.
Speaker 2:Is that right? Let's see. And every now and then I have to invoke Uh Jackson man, you know Sam Yoy, I just but but looks, uh, uh, uh is to who?
Speaker 7:Before I met Reese's, there were two people who I thought what? First of all, I thought, before I met Jennifer Lewis, sam Jackson was that absolute king of motherfucker. But when I met Jennifer Lewis, she became the queen of motherfucker. But Reese is the princess of. Reese's will cut, okay. Okay, this is how I got to know Reese.
Speaker 7:Reese would do these videos on twitter. Joe, she be, I'm talking about. She uses more cuss words in two minutes, then a whole lot of people and. But she killed it and I, she killed it. And so I said man, you know, I gotta say I gotta put on air. So, joe, she comes on the air and so she's sitting on the air and so she's talking. I'm like why I called your ass. I'm like I mean. So after about three or four pairs, I said look, you got, I need you to do you. I invite your ass here. Be somebody else. The person doing videos ever since then, all along, what, what, what. My girl is saying let your free flag fly, let your cuss flag fly well, you know it goes back again in the book I.
Speaker 2:I have a, a chapter about success and there was three things that I was told be original, be authentic and then be daring. And when you look at folks and particularly in our business, what you're doing, for example, nobody does this, it's, it's original. You're authentic. When you see Roland Martin, you get Roland Martin, your guests are all authentic. That's really the form of success. But but I I say this, roland, the one of the thing I wanted the book to do was to be in my voice and that was one of the most difficult things I had with the editor and Dr Canton, because they started writing it in their voice and I always go back to what Malcolm somebody said about Malcolm.
Speaker 2:Because Malcolm used to have to shape. You know, I kind of shake up Alex Taylor. That's not the way that's what I'm thinking about, so I wanted it to be in my voice. The other thing I wanted was people to understand that you use your, use your platform and and that. And I always remember something else there's a chapter in that professor, the late professor Ron Walker, and you and that was.
Speaker 2:He gave a lecture and a student asked he chastised students about moments. You go in, you have a demonstration, you leave, right, go back to the campus, go back to wherever. You just had a moment, right, what you did was a moment, it was a moment. And and so one student said well, professor, was the difference between a moment and a movement? And he said sacrifice. All movements in human history require Sacrifice and sometimes that's what you do. I had to sacrifice a job. I tell the story in Philadelphia. That's my first full-time talk show. I moved from Detroit, that was my political base. Children were born, I moved everybody to philadelphia and I was doing a show and I'll get this midnight to five thirty in the morning.
Speaker 1:And I was only black.
Speaker 2:And I had the program director and the owner tell me now this is after In Philadelphia. In Philadelphia we're getting too many calls and letters because this is before social media, you're talking about black folk too much, and and so you know, you know me. So the next day I I decided you know what I'm going to do, I'm going to interview two people, different viewpoints. So it was Ron Brown, because he was running to be chairman of the dnc, the first black chairman. So I had Ron Brown on one hour and then the next hour I interviewed willis ferrick. I was gone and you say y'all want to see black and and then when I came to, uh, you know then, and then when I can, and then, and you tell any people right now, I mean, and all of this is in the book, so I'm doing a tv. That herado was. This is when the hey, the first beginning of talk radio, right, and and and there was this argument about black folk, black folk and and and, uh, talk radio, but there weren't a lot of black folk. And the program director of wabc, uh, the herado, asking legitimately why don't you have any black folk? And he said, well, we have to think about. And then somebody spoke up and said well, you do have a black person and I can't remember the man's name now and he said oh well, we don't think of him as black, and and and and. That debate is what sort of got me into Washington. Uh, and it's because the program directors say, well, they don't want you in philly, we want you in the Washington. But I did say this I'm not going here and replacing another black. See, they have one black and and and and. Uh, I said so. If you're going to hire me and fire her, then I don't want the job because I'm not gonna play that game, right? Um, this is and you know it's, it's about sacrifice. And then take your platform and you do this all the time.
Speaker 2:Go to a war zone in sedan. I, I swear I asked, and herado can be upset if he wants to. I've been in that war south sedan, for I've gone back and forth at least six times. I kept asking people had more Resources than I had come with me. I mean, he asked me well, can we get in and out of south sedan in a day? What hotel are we going to go to South sedan in a day? Uh, what hotel. Are we going to stay in? Excuse me, we're sleeping in the bush. It's a war going on. Yeah, uh, and, and, uh, you know, he just walked away. He just walked away and I think at the time he was with a, b, a, b, c.
Speaker 2:And then I've had some brothers who I've asked to go with me, and, and, and they said what they would say Well, there's a war going on. You don't see the folks that see it in everybody's clamoring to get over there Because there's a war Going on. And the other final thing I wanted people to understand in the book Was people tend to look at us as we are. Now right, they see you. They say, oh man, he's got a nice suit on, but I was not born with this right, right.
Speaker 7:I always say no, everybody want to talk about bisha tdj's today.
Speaker 2:They don't want to talk about what he was when he was digging ditches in west Virginia, or when I was, and when I was 10 years, 10 years old, my grandfather all trash. That's how you made a living separated metals, paper and I worked with him. In those days they called it a dump. Today it's a landfill and that's how I spent my summers. That's how I made my money in my summer. So in the book I talked about going from working and, and my grandfather saying to me you don't like this b, what is there to like? No, I don't like this. And he said well then, then you got two choices and that is either go to the military in those days he said, to army or you, uh, you go to college, become 18, you getting out of here, and and I was, and I didn't talk about in the book that I go from working in a dump To interviewing the first black president of the united states in the oval office, um, and so I just want people to understand, uh, that, uh, none of us in this business.
Speaker 2:First, all of us in this business have to use our platform, and that's what you were talking about all this this evening. You got to use what everybody can do something, and that's been my, my, my mantra no matter who you are. Everybody can do something. I can't do what you do. This place is. I mean I wish people could see where I am. This is a magnificent man. You ought to be renting this out to students, to all kind of folks. But everybody that's on a list, but everybody can do something.
Speaker 7:The the thing that you talked about being talk radio and the general public really doesn't think about this. How white folks absolutely dominate talk radio. Oh, yes, but not just talk radio, the sports talk radio. And so how people? I tell people all all the time the, the media, is the second most powerful institution in the world, first being milk guns. The military, get the guns. Any cool is guns first, media second, and you're, and just what you say is what you do with it. So You've seen other folks in how they frame stories and how they talked about stories and how they talked about individuals. Uh, the, the white, loud republican, how he dog and fill his random. No, no, we're gonna have fill us on. And again it's, it's framing. And I tell people all the time you cannot ignore the reality of how powerful the whole media is In shaping the hearts and minds of the public and the other thing I'll I'll talk about, and that is, and this is what makes your show so fascinating and popular.
Speaker 2:You hear me say put it where the goats can get here.
Speaker 7:I'm doing that all around the country.
Speaker 2:I said yo, Madison says put it where the ghost. Now that that is it. I came, you know, and I'm kind of intimidated with all these distinguished professors. I am absolutely, especially my man from Howard. But let me tell you, let me tell you, I came back from college and I believe it was a Thanksgiving dinner my grandfather, clarksville, mississippi, no more than a sixth grade education, went because it was dumb. It was just what it was.
Speaker 2:Jim Crow as well, jim Crow, jim Crow and I'm trying to wax eloquently about what I, this philosophy teacher and data my grandfather looked. He said, joseph, why don't you put it where the goats can get it? It's an old country, saint goats eat down to the root. They go beyond the top and they go all the way down. And he said if you can explain it to me so that I understand it, I imagine that teacher with a phd would probably understand too. Right, and that's this is what irritates me about all of these talking heads that you know, that that you see on news shows is they, you know? I just wish they would just plain. Just. Somebody used to say explain to me, like I'm in the second grade, it's real basic, just basic.
Speaker 7:We used to always cross pass during Lou Dobb's show. When he was sane he was at CNN. People don't believe, but at one point he was saying Lou Dobb was absolutely sane.
Speaker 2:And he had lobotomy and he lost his damn mind. Actually, it was talk radio that actually changed him? Yes, it was it was the radio show when he got that contract, when he got that contract with that.
Speaker 7:Because when he got the radio show around the same time that rush limbo signed for a hundred million. Yes, and Lou the last would cause Lou to lose his damn mind. So we used to always do these shows together and you're absolutely right, one of the things that made me so popular I'm seeing in that's all the strength. That's right. I mean I wasn't sitting here and it was. It was a trip because they tried to change my wardrobe. Oh yeah, absolutely. They tried to change. They always weren't. You know, this is how we do it. I said whoa, let me explain something y'all, I ain't them.
Speaker 7:I remember sitting on the set one day and joke joke joe climb with time magazine. We're sitting there and someone said something. I said I ain't him. I said, first of all, look at him. I said he got dirt on his jacket. He went some candy pans, this boy that has blue shirt. I said I don't know about y'all, but shit, I'm clean. That ain't me. I said I ain't gonna never look like him. So I don't care what that. Because they, just because I used to have a clothes rack that was in my office. I had suits, I had shirts, I had cuff links and I would be on the air daytime at night time and they would go. You wouldn't change clothes. I said, oh, a brother came with the same thing in prime time. He won daytime. They were always trying to figure out. I said, y'all, I'm gonna do me, that's right.
Speaker 7:And I understood the audience, how speak to the audience and the reason that that thing I knew was a trip 2008. The debates had already been scheduled. The first two debates I had speeches. I wasn't on, it wasn't, I wasn't in a studio. I heard you say that and we, we lost the first two debates, cbs. So the third debate, I had another speech. I'm flying from speed. The president, the president worldwide, calls me. I get a voice belt. Hey, roland, it's Jim, but nothing urgent. Give me a call when you can. When the worldwide CEO call you and say nothing urgent, you know it's urgent, you know that's so, I knew it that. Why so I called my agent, mark was.
Speaker 7:I said mark, we probably wanted to move that speech next week, I think. Uh, he telling me we need you. And when I called me, said, uh, we need you on set, right, so I go on set. And they got, just wouldn't have them huge pounds. So they had about 10 of us up there. Uh, it was no, it's nine, it was, it was, it was, it was it was eight panelists. It was, it was not, it was yes, it was nine panelists. It was two anchors, they had eight seats, I'm sorry. So I'm standing up and I was like who could be the first black person to see me? Who called me a senior email about me standing up? It was spikily black man can't get a chair.
Speaker 3:So when the night was over, I was like yo, what the hell was up with that.
Speaker 7:They said oh no, no, no, we've wanted, we've wanted Everybody to see that you were here. Yeah, that's what they told. Yeah, that's again. That's when you understand how you have have an impact on people and it's who you're communicating with. You have been doing that. But serious is one thing. But talk about again being in dc and dealing and talking just regular, ordinary folk, the folk like your grandfather, and how they have a commitment to say we're gonna ride with you, joe, we got your back, no matter what.
Speaker 2:I think you get to a certain point where they just can't deny you. Look, they know you're professional. No, they and. And I think there's the other issue. I'll say this they know you. Walk out the door. I mean, I Will walk out the door. Can I add something, though?
Speaker 2:You were talking about Jackie Robinson, I think the p she did was superb. Um, I, I wanted to remind everybody that this summer, rachel Robinson is going to be a hundred years old indeed, and If you want to talk about Jackie Robinson, you got to talk about Rachel Robinson. And I'll say this this may take a lot of people off. I said it yesterday at the george washington university have a Jackie Robinson project that they want fun. The university won't find it. Call to raise their own money and and and um, I said yesterday, you know, maybe it will smith.
Speaker 2:I just stopped and paused for a moment and thought about Jackie Robinson and what was said to Rachel in those stands. They called her everything but a child of god. And I said and he had a back in his hand and maybe he just should have thought about Jackie Robinson and what and what and and what was said about him and the woman he was married to Until the day he he died. Now I know there's an argument about who should have slapped we were not slapping that kind of thing and I personally also think that there ought to be curriculum in every college About Jackie Robinson's legacy, because it was more than just a spot. Absolutely, absolutely. You read his book. I never had it made.
Speaker 7:He was a business person. I mean these professors. Professors, no bad time it was hard core and Challenge his own Republican party, and and there's another issue too I've been hitting on For hood.
Speaker 2:You know, you know, you know, you know, you know.
Speaker 2:You know you know, first of all while he was court marshal. There is an effort and a petition to change the name of Fort hood to the jack Jackie Robinson base. Really, yes, look it up that. And and, by the way, so let's start with who was good. He was a confederate general. It was a Confederate general who, by the way, quit the military. So I want the audience out there to go look it up, and I think that's one of the next things that they, since they're talking about change in the names of these bases, and one of the hardest things to find is the TNT movie where Andre Breyer played Jackie Robinson, but it was called the court martial Jackie Robinson.
Speaker 7:I had been. You cannot find it anywhere.
Speaker 1:I remember watching it.
Speaker 7:And it may be still on VHS tape, but I don't know DVD. I got some other questions.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna bring the panelists now so they can Know. You didn't tell me. Now I gotta take.
Speaker 5:I got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 7:I gotta take an exam, yeah, you do so I don't go to the professor first, we don't, we don't ease into it. So the cusse, the chief cusse oh, I'm on the filter. Who's also a contributor on serious XM, the Clay Kane show? Reesey, colbert Reesey, your question for Joe Madison.
Speaker 4:Thank you for that wonderful introduction, and, princess oppressing Joe Madison is such an honor to be in company with you on this show, so thank you for blessing us with so many gems. A Question that I have for you is you know, now I feel like news in our society and our attention span Moves so fast. You have such a long career and I'm just curious does it, did it feel like that in the other kind of historic and Significant errors that we've been through, that things were moving fast and it was easily forgotten, or does it feel a little bit different, like we have to, you know, push harder, to really, you know, get people to, to, to, to see the gravity and and, and the, and the momentous Part of what we are experiencing?
Speaker 7:And I have to apologize, putting in the context here the first, putting the context, this moment, this moment that we're in right, all of the different things that are going on. How does it compare to other Errors?
Speaker 2:that when you've been on nothing, nothing has really changed other than the characters and and and also the means of communicating is, is, is a lot faster. I think the reality is Wars, war. You know, inflation is inflation. Black folk have always had to survive, as Roland and all of you were explaining the first part of the show, the they there. You know these, these. It's something maybe the best way to put it, like putting it where the goats can get it. Um, it, it's, it's.
Speaker 2:It's Jim Crow's sophisticated cousin. I always refer to him as James Crow Esquire. Same, same attempts to maintain white supremacy. No if ands buts about it. It's just more sophisticated and they've learned a few tricks. But the reality is, is that it's just sophisticated, and and we have to do more reading, we have to do more researching and and and I also say this, it's again in the book radioactive it's cultural conditioning. Now, what I mean by cultural conditioning and you've been, you've been saying this all morning, all evening long America's culturally conditioned to believe that white is superior, black is inferior, and the manifestation of that cultural conditioning is that blacks are undervalued, under estimated and marginalized. That's the, and some of us are culturally conditioned Right to believe, to undervalue, under estimate and marginalize ourselves. When you're talking about the monarchs, you can have both monarchs and blacks in major league, I mean.
Speaker 7:But we have to recondition right our culture and culture is for me, as I say reprogram, yeah, but it's the same thing and culture is the hardest thing to change.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and on any, on any, on any, in any country. Culture is the most difficult thing.
Speaker 7:This is what you said about when you talked about We'll have started about Jackie Robinson. It's about being intentional. Just what I was saying when I was picking shoes. I could have said I'm a white parachute, what rip? No, no, no, I'm a specifically wet those because they're black owned company. That that means Stopping yourself, thinking you're through, taking that moment, thinking it through the know. I'm wearing these for a reason and I think what happens is we're at what right we have gotten. First of all, I took people all time. We have to really not appreciate but Understand how powerful white supremacy was in terms of how it's so deeply ingrained Into our psyche and white folks that, yeah, we can look at something and I get all the time what someone is like. Yeah, we go get you a real show. Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, what the hell is it which means really, really.
Speaker 2:White. Yeah, I, I have a chapter in the book where I talk about people always ask how did you get them the handle black eagle? And when I first started using that handle, folks went crazy on the radio. I mean, it's like people went nuts. Now the only the managers didn't, because they were. They gonna. They're gonna tell me I can't say it, and and and.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you how it came about. Um, I was following Oliver north. We're in a meeting with a talk show Consultant who was bragging about Oliver north. Oliver north had never done talk radio before. All he's the captain Kirk with this good, this enterprise shift. And I said well, what are we? We're not dope me. I mean, what are we? And all you know. He brushed me off.
Speaker 2:So I got, I left the meeting and got in the car with big gray Green and I said you know what? I think I'm gonna start calling myself the black eagle. And I'm in Washington, right, national bird is the eagle. And I said but have you ever heard of a black eagle? He said no, but I think tomorrow morning we're gonna be hearing about it. But guess, guess, what happened? I find that it, god, is fake. I'm looking at national geographic and they do a special on eagles and the biggest largest Bird eagle species is a black eagle. Wow, and none, and you know. And then you would have Folks calling white folks call in and say, well, if you the black eagle on the, uh, white pigeon, and I said, well, just remember, eagles eat pigeons.
Speaker 2:Um, so I mean, I just think you, you, you, you have to be Original, you have to be authentic and you have to be daring. Yeah, that is, and you know, told me that was Aretha, hmm, the queen. Yeah, because when you hear Aretha Franklin, you that's who you hear and you know it. Yeah, and remember, she wasn't a big success when she first started out, because she was doing other peoples, she's doing covers, covers. When she decided to be authentic, there you go. That's when she became uh, uh, uh, here. That's that's why and I say this and that's why I consider you a brother and a friend. You're authentic and people need to understand that you are authentic and and and the folks just don't like it. Just, I get used to it. Whatever, yeah, whatever, terrain, terrain, terrain, walker.
Speaker 3:First of all, Joe, it's an honor and a privilege to be in space with you. First of all, this is amazing. Um, my question to you is Well, there's always been a history with um black um Initators and black reporters and black radio people where they were the voices of the. It were basically the voices of the community and they were able to interpret um world of best to the community. And my question to you is um, Do you feel like some of that? Um, I guess you can all. How can we bring that back? What can we revitalize the idea of black people like self, I vote for the community and you interpret in black communities to the world and the world of black.
Speaker 7:We always had this. We've always had In in these cities, in each one of these cities you and you had a black eagle. You had that, that voice. Yes, because it's DJ, because he talks to the host and the columnist.
Speaker 2:Uh, and there was. There was a congressman during reconstruction period. He was known as the black uh, the black eagle. Yeah, go ahead In many ways.
Speaker 7:I think what Terrain is saying is we've lost that. So how do we, how do we bring that back where we have these, these voices that, to your point, that are, that are sacrificing for the collective and and I'll add to what you said, terrain who are not all about getting them to check, but it's really about Representing the people in the community.
Speaker 2:It you know, I don't know how to answer that. I really honestly don't know. I think that's maybe one of the reasons I did to memoir is what. What made you what? What made you, um, you know my, my grandfather working with my grandfather in the trash truck. What made you, uh was my, my uh minister at st Marvich church was a brilliant man.
Speaker 2:What made you it was a uh, uh, a football coach who, by the way, my first football Experience, I got kicked off the team because I was active in, in large part, in, the black student movement. This is, and and some of you may know this and that is we were just, we were trying to get black studies on these campuses. Uh, you know, brothers are getting kicked off the football teams around go read, read this around the country because they wore aphrods or because there was a black student movement and ball players were looked up to. And if you walked around campus, maybe with a black band as part of the protest, uh, the coach would call you in and say you take that black band or you lose your scholarship. And some folks wouldn't do it and they sacrificed their Scholarship.
Speaker 2:I that's the best way that I can can answer it. Our, our perspective Is is what creates us, and and our experience creates our perspective. And so I guess it was all the things I went through and that's why I was a challenge writing this book, because I had to go back and the editor kept saying, well, why did this happen? Why did that happen? And, uh, and, and, and. So it's based on your experience. Why are you the way you are? Why are these professors the way they are? And, and what makes you you what I think?
Speaker 7:yeah, what makes you you, the way I would answer what, what terrain has, is this way. I am who I am today Because that was a black newspaper that I worked for. John Ware was a former city manager of Dallas. He left to become this. He left to run a billion dollar investment firm fund for tom hicks, a big private equity guy later bought the texas rangers.
Speaker 7:When I was, when I was at tom Jones black american webcom and I wasI it was, and then when I got fired from there and I was sitting here trying to do some other stuff and I would call john, I would call john and this is what john always said. He said rolling, it doesn't matter, just get a platform that you control. So the way we do that terrain, we have to create the platform. So when I launched this show, it was never Going to only be me. The moment I launched I said I'm gonna be the tent pole, I'm gonna be the axis, and so the people I bring on, then that's gonna then create who stands out, create a show for them. So now Faraji has a David show. Here was faraji, a 25 year old young brother from baltimore, coming on my tv one show and I was like, all right, he got something. He got something. And then I created for I'm gonna do this daily show and so Bring him on. And then, uh, gray you know, gray, I'm thinking about this here, and this is that would even a black star network.
Speaker 7:And even before gray was doing what he's doing with karen hunter, we were talking about, okay, I'm gonna create this, but I got to build this first, and then my wife's show, and then whatever owens is doing, and then there are four or five other shows right, people, they hit me rolling a wetter Reese's show. I'm like calm down. I like calm down. I got a plane, everybody the shield. But that's really it. If we don't build the ecosystem terrain, you know you, then you're not gonna have the voices, because there has to be a place where who owns it gives you the freedom to develop your voice, cultivate your voice, cultivate your rhythm, right your tone, all different things. That takes time and you ain't gonna get it over there. It was jonathan rogers, everybody. This is no disrespect. It was not kathy heaves, it was not alfred liggins, it was jonathan rogers who was the founding ceo tv, one who said I'm going to put you on, american needs to hear your voice. But we got to get the network built first jonathan got my job and called me.
Speaker 7:He called royals. Wife first called me tv one wouldn't even name, but he told me that. But I had to be patient.
Speaker 2:Same dance. What did that's how you develop. Same thing happened with the serious exam. Um, I was on rll radio one, and satellite radio was created. They did not have uh a, a black talk platform did not have one, and Nate davis, brilliant president, yeah, and no one thought that satellite radio would take off.
Speaker 7:You remember that they, they were shot black and and now, and.
Speaker 2:Nate davis, brilliant, just as quiet, and and he said. He said you know what. We need this channel Because, you know, serious is like I always look at it. It's like a bookstore, yeah, and and if you don't like what's on channel 26 or 1 26, go over to another. You know? I think I forget how many channels there are. So it's like if you don't like this, this book, in this section, then go to another section. And Nate davis came to me and said you know, we have got to have, uh of this, a platform like and initially it was the power, right Now I would. They know how I feel about that. It should have stayed to power.
Speaker 2:But you know, some brother came on and said well, I don't like news and you know and and the power sounds so 60 ish and I'm blowing them out. But that's okay and say let's change it to urban of Urban view.
Speaker 7:First of all, I hate. I hate when they slap urban on anything, I'm like just say black Shit, stop, don't.
Speaker 2:I hate. Oh, okay, I can't stay late to urban and also, but wait a minute, you got, you got, you got. Uh, you got the patriots channel right, so that's the right wingers. You've got a Of what is it progress? And that's the liberal channel, basically the liberal and the potus channel.
Speaker 2:The politics of the United Stations. Now, why can't you and I've argued this why can't you have the black channel with all these brilliant minds you have and call it the power? And so what I've been told is you know, it is what it is now. Many guys are really popular, so don't change it. And I'm saying, okay, I'm still going to cuss. No, I'm TC, I'm the great car. I'm really intimidated now. No God.
Speaker 8:It's the opposite, bob. I tell you, man, I could just sit here and listen to you all all night. I want to add my honor and respect to giving to you, like Risi and Terrain said every time that I've been around you and seen you, it's just an honor, brother, sometimes to shake your hand and stand there and listen. I remember the first time I saw your studio in Sirius XM in DC. I went down to the new woman, leon showing the weekend. We walked by and said that's where the black eagle sits and I'll never forget that.
Speaker 8:But you know, I guess my question is very broad and it kind of echoes what Risi was asking for the medicine. And I know my old classmate, dave Canton, probably gave you help because he, like me, is an academic. You try to put words in your mouth and you had to get it straight. But he says in the beginning of your book there radioactive. He says you know you always remind us of listening with our third ear Right and so looking forward.
Speaker 8:And you and Roland are really talking about this. I wonder what you see with your third eye, what you hear with your third ear about the future of media generally. I don't know if radio will ever be displaced. I mean, we grew up we all grew up on radio. Hearing your voice got us through many a challenge in our community. But I wonder, as you're looking forward, with legacy media seemingly coming apart at the seams, you know, what do you see in terms of breaking through all the noise and really capturing the imagination of our people, particularly as it relates to information? And thank you for your continuing work.
Speaker 2:I'm not with this whole piece about listening with the third ear and reading with the third eye. That came from an older politician. I remember the ride from Detroit to Lansing. He was a state senator and he said look, young man, I was just brand new running the NACP. And he said the best of what's his name? Will Rogers, will Rogers. He said, yes, there's a book out. Read the Best of Will Rogers. Now, who is Will Rogers?
Speaker 2:Will Rogers was like the Johnny Carson of his day on radio. You know, he was the one that would say you know, congress is second oldest profession, I mean, and people would listen to him. Oh, at the homespun, oh, yeah, but political humor, yeah, and he was now. The other thing he said was listen with a third ear and read with a third eye, see, and so the to answer your question, too often and we take what we see and not Realize what's really being done in the, in the background. That's that third eye that you, that you see. What is that new story? What's really behind that new story? So again, again, you know, radio will always be around. I think it was a point in time where I Think we used to say whenever there would? People would take over a country. There would be a revolution. First thing they take over is the radio station.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah after the military, I mean they take over the radio station and we see that radio station, newspapers and so so here's where I think it's going, and that is Everybody now is a potential Communicator. Yeah, right with this, everybody now is a. So and we're seeing it. Yeah, the story out of Michigan, yes, where they're great rapids, grand rapids, but, and you know thing this, this guy, the passenger, became a reporter. There you go, he pulled he pulled that one girl in.
Speaker 7:Minnesota. That's why. That's why I give message on the air saying Shoot horizontal, please, so it feels the whole screen up. Don't shoot vertical, no. I tell everybody video shoot like this now.
Speaker 2:The other thing is is that and I know that folks like to Criticize the younger generation, but I say you know, I did my, my hunger strike and folks thought it was crazy. Yeah, I knew what I was doing because dig Rayburn I used to. He taught me how to do it and he taught me why you do it. You do it to get attention Right. You get it to shape, to get the people. Now we didn't get the legislation because we had two Democratic senators that just were traitors to our cause. But you know what we did we woke up a younger generation. They now know what a filibuster rule is. They now know how Congress works. Young folk went on hunger strikes at that you know you do.
Speaker 2:When you can get them to pass them a fast-food place, they realize we have to make sacrifices. We woke up a generation and and and doctor I will say this to you and I was and I say this with all due respect Quit talking about passing the torch. Now tell you why I'm not going to pass my torch. I'm gonna hold on to my torch. I'll like your torch, Right. So because it's because if I pass my torch on to you, I'm in the dark, Right.
Speaker 7:I'm in the dark, see. I see I use the, I use the relay exam.
Speaker 2:Thank you in the relay. This is what I explain to people. But you got people, but you got to keep running right.
Speaker 7:Right, you're running at the same time. They're running right when you stick it out, they have. They have to reach back and there's a point when both of you are holding the baton of a very sad time and then.
Speaker 2:You got to let that baton go and that generation has to run faster than we did you go.
Speaker 7:So the face of the thing, what I, what I tell folks. I've always hated that phrase to, even when I was 20, 30. I hated that phrase because what it said a lot of people is oh, I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing. I Wish I'll people get out of the way I had. We were on. I'll never forget it was out to trade one Martin At the Zimmerman decision. He found not guilty and folks were just, they were shocked. I'll never forget that. I'll never forget the night it was a Saturday night Duffers had their the National Convention here.
Speaker 7:I was actually at their step show and the thing is it was circulated and about three o'clock in the morning they probably about 800 people from around the world who on the phone. The next night it was like 2000 people who on the phone. People just wanted to talk. It was interesting. They had no place to. They like they want to go to someplace to convene. It basically turned to a talk, talk show. Well, it's a trip, is that? So a group of black folks folks 20, 30, 40s Started convening and it was very interesting.
Speaker 7:And so we're on these calls and and one of things, joe, by really smart people. They really smart people Don't sometimes know how to slow down. So they're sitting here. They was like we comfort, do this and do that and this. And it's like they're going on.
Speaker 7:And so Jeff Johnson, I would chill it Jeff goes Both of them just curious, who are we targeting? Who do we say we're speaking for? So Jeff and I, we started communicating on his deal. So that was this young lady who hit Jeff and he, she's like oh, I hit on, I'm just I'm, I'm tired. These old heads like Roman, why is he on the call? And Jeff said, he said let me ask you a question. You think he Eric? And he's like. And he said what? Who else on the call has a national platform? Yeah, he said he don't want. Then he said who else on this call? If we needed somebody To kick off what we were doing and put 10,000 on the table, who could do it? And not blanking? He said him. He said why in the hell would you not want that person at the table? That's part of that whole thing, with this folk fighting in who I want in the room. I'm like hey, you got something. Contribute, we all can be.
Speaker 2:Everybody can do something, everybody. Look, rosa Perz lit my torch In the book we talk about. We boy cut. Let me tell you we boycott at the city of Dearborn. And because an issue with a park, dearborn is not the dearborn, you know. Now, right, it was a Sundown town and that's the sundown, and the black population was less than 1%. Some black folk here's Dearborn, here's Detroit, he's crossed the street, you're in Dearborn.
Speaker 2:Some folks went over and got into a, went to a park shelter. People came in and said, well, you can't, these are, this is Dearborn Park. You can't have this. It was a public park, you can't use this shelter. And low and behold, we're reading again the newspaper of good friend of mine. We he worked at John Conyers office, rosa Parks work there and and he said we got, do something about this. This is a public park. So we got together and said, okay, fine, we'll boycott the city of Dearborn. You know they had a huge regional mall. Folks, black folks, are spending their money. We did, and Rosa Park said I'll join you. Okay, and so we decided, we took a lesson from from A Randall Robinson and the boycott, this boycott of the South African Embassy. We did it the day before Thanksgiving. Why Media? Why you know why because Thanksgiving Day was gonna be a slow news day. So Rosa Parks and Joe Madison gets arrested in Dearborn.
Speaker 2:Calls for boycott 70% off. It was instantaneous, it was spontaneous. People, stop SHOPPING. The NEXT THAT WHAT THEY CALL NOW BLACK FRIDAY THEY STOP.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you who gave me more hell Than anybody in Dearborn? The older black leadership. You did not get my permission To call a boycott. I was because Henry Ford called All of the black leaders now coming young, was marrying and there was some powerful black folk. I'm just a young 20-something in ACP executive, I don't know, I wasn't even with it. Yeah, I was on the political department at the time. Yeah, because I was with Ben Hooks. They called me into a meeting.
Speaker 2:This was a Saturday morning. They have AIDS burden and you know that one of those means like a kitchen cabinet and there was some powerful folks. There was a federal judge, there was a mayor, there was a labor leader, man, these were. These are some, these are older brother, right. And they said you know, you remind me of myself when I was your age. But young man, this is coming young. You got to. You know, you didn't get my permission to call this boycott.
Speaker 2:And you got Henry Ford pissed off at me and da, da, da, da, da. And I said man young, with all due respect, I didn't think I needed your permission to call a boycott, and I have it in the book. He looked me in. I said boy, you need my permission to fart in this city. But you know what? You can't stop it. Right, it's already happened to it, it's too late. You got to call it off and they tried to pressure us to call it off. It was too late and the lesson I learned was boycotts are successful one of two ways, and Ben Hooks taught me this they're either spontaneous or they're well-planned. There you go. And he told this group of folks who wanted me out of the city.
Speaker 2:We know it wasn't well-planned, because y'all didn't help me and he pulled me out of one of these meetings and said no, he's not, because they said get him out of town and he said he's not going anywhere, come on. He stood me up and said come on, we're leaving. This is and, by the way, this is what young people need to understand. It's never been Kumbaya, never it. We've always. You know, dr King wouldn't go on the freedom of the bush rides on the freedom rides Because he thought it was dangerous.
Speaker 2:Kennedy said talk him out of it. Right, john Lewis out of it. And they say we still going. Yeah, and that's why all of this is in the book and that's why it's radioactive. And I got that. I got to give credit to Ron Daniels, our brother Ron Daniels. He said you know you, you just read your acting. And I always, I always remember that from the good professor.
Speaker 7:We're gonna go seven more minutes. I know we're over. We're gonna go seven more minutes. See when I have your own show. You can do that and also you paying oh, I have a overtime the panel. You have another question about my asses. I'm gonna ask a couple first. First, who black gave you the most difficulty interviewing them? Well, they were like just getting on your damn nerves and you had to just like when it. We got contentious, it got hot. Nobody who.
Speaker 5:So was it anybody? Did you get any?
Speaker 7:interview where it, where it, where it was, it was, it was a battle, it was.
Speaker 2:It was. You know it's an interest. I hadn't thought about that, but I can't. I can't think of Anybody, like you said, who was black.