George Floyd 6 Years Later. Redistricting War i The South. Talarico Senate Campaign

Congressman Glenn Ivy is reintroducing the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act to keep the issue of police reform on the national agenda, despite Republican control of Congress. The goal is to force Republicans to be on record regarding their opposition and to highlight ongoing issues with excessive force by agencies like ICE and Border Patrol.

Congressman Glenn Ivy states, 'We want to keep pushing it. Uh I think I think it's needed now more than ever. Certainly the issues that led to George Floyd's death are still here.' He also mentions, 'Yeah, let's make sure the Republicans are on record with respect to this and the position they're taking here, but also across the board with ICE, which also needs a total revamp, by the way.'

Republicans in Southern states are actively engaging in gerrymandering to dilute Black voting power and eliminate historically Black congressional districts. This is seen in Alabama, Missouri (targeting Congressman Emanuel Cleaver's seat), and South Carolina (targeting Congressman Jim Clyburn's seat), with the Supreme Court's decisions (e.g., Louisiana v. Milligan) enabling these actions.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver describes how his Missouri district was 'wiped out' and extended into rural, white areas to dilute the Black vote. He states, 'They took great care to make sure that none of those students who tend to vote uh for for liberal candidates uh and African-Americans doesn't matter with them uh lot less uh than than their parents and grandparents.' (01:12:47) Congressman Jim Clyburn notes, 'The congressional district that I represent, uh it's about 45% African-American... that congressional district is now 75% white, but South Carolina itself is not 75% white.' (01:40:54)

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's decision to run for reelection in Florida's Congressional District 20, a historically Black district, has caused significant backlash from Black Democrats and the Florida Legislative Black Caucus. They view her candidacy as a disregard for Black representation, especially after redistricting eliminated her previous seat and reduced the number of Black access districts in Florida.

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus's statement reads, 'Congresswoman Wasman Schulz's decision to pursue reelection in this historically black district despite explicit request from the black community to seek candidacy in a neighboring district is disheartening.' (00:31:57) Matt Manning adds that her failure to meet with affected Black leaders 'looks like there's something shady going on' and 'performative allyship.' (00:37:06)

The NAACP has launched an 'out-of-bounds' campaign, urging Black athletes to boycott public universities in states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas) that are actively suppressing Black votes. This strategy aims to leverage the economic power of collegiate athletics to force legislative change.

Roland Martin states, 'The NAACP in their out-of-bounds campaign, they are targeting uh public universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.' (00:53:04) Michael Mhamteep explains, 'It actually encourages uh these athletes to consider going to H.B.CU and playing for H.B.CU. It it doesn't tell them don't play at all.' (00:56:51)

Roland Martin and guests criticize the 'secure the bag' mentality among some younger generations, arguing that prioritizing individual financial gain over collective struggle undermines the fight for civil rights. They emphasize that historical Black freedom movements were driven by young people willing to sacrifice personal opportunities for broader societal change.

Roland Martin asks, 'What would the Black Freedom movement have looked like if folks said to young people, "Hey, no, no, no, no, no, no. Y'all need to stay in college. You need to get your education. Don't want to mess up your future."' (00:47:12) He later states, 'We've reduced the fight for civil rights and voting rights and equal protection to what a handful of black people can earn.' (00:53:55)

The Supreme Court is characterized as an 'extreme court' that is actively working to dismantle voting rights protections and empower Republican political agendas. Decisions like Citizens United, Shelby v. Holder, and Louisiana v. Milligan are cited as systematically eroding the impact of individual voters and Black political power.

Roland Martin states, 'The Supreme Court is frankly in I call it the extreme court. They're doing the work of Republicans and they're allowing them to move forward and it is it is as if they don't even care about facts, don't care about precedent, don't care about the law.' (00:23:17) Congressman Clyburn equates Citizens United with Dred Scott as 'among the worst decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court.' (01:44:21)