Crockett Senate Poll Questioned. Black Woman Fights Disenfranchisement. Assault on Black History.
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖An Emerson poll showing Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett trailing in the Texas Senate race is deemed problematic due to a small sample size, inconsistent methodology, and an apparent bias against Black female candidates.
- ❖Tennessee's felony disenfranchisement laws, which prevent 1 in 5 Black residents from voting, are being challenged in a landmark lawsuit by activist Pamela Moses, aiming to restore voting rights for over 500,000 Tennesseans.
- ❖The Trump administration is accused of erasing Black history by excluding Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges from US 250th-anniversary commemorative coins, despite prior approvals and legal requirements for diverse representation.
- ❖Texas A&M University cancelled an ethics class due to new state-mandated bans on teaching gender and race ideology, illustrating a broader conservative effort to control academic content and suppress diversity in higher education.
- ❖The host advocates for a 'radical King' interpretation of MLK Day, urging mass protests and economic action against injustice rather than symbolic acts of service.
Insights
1Questionable Texas Senate Poll Targeting Jasmine Crockett
A recent Emerson College poll showing Texas State Representative James Talerico leading Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett by nine points in the Democratic primary is highly suspect. The poll's methodology is flawed, with Talerico's lead stemming from Republicans and independents, not self-identified Democrats, among whom Crockett actually leads. This poll contradicts other recent surveys that show Crockett with a significant lead, suggesting it may be a politically motivated attack fueled by anti-Black and anti-woman bias from certain white progressives.
Guest Steve Phillips points out that 'Telerico's lead within this poll comes from Republicans who apparently may have said they're going to vote Democratic poll, but he leads among Republicans and then independents.' He also notes the 'incredibly small sample size of this poll' (400 voters total) and that 'all of a sudden now somehow the whole race has turned over the Christmas holidays.' Roland Martin highlights 'massive attacks against Crockett' from 'white progressives' over issues like Israel and her comments on Latino voters, despite Talerico holding similar stances.
2Landmark Challenge to Felony Disenfranchisement in Tennessee
Tennessee activist Pamela Moses is leading a historic legal challenge against the state's felony disenfranchisement laws, which disproportionately affect Black citizens. These laws are a direct legacy of Jim Crow-era tactics designed to suppress Black political power, preventing a significant portion of the Black population from voting and holding office. If successful, this lawsuit could restore voting rights to over 500,000 Tennesseans.
Pamela Moses states, 'Tennessee has a significant issue with the percentage of African-Americans who are unable to vote due to their state laws.' Her attorney, John Habinich, explains they have an 'equal protection claim because we have a statistics expert who has been able to really crack open the vault of data here in Tennessee and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a massive disperate impact on black Tennessans when it comes to felony disenfranchisement. 3 to one or worse when compared to white voters.' He adds that felony disenfranchisement 'really is the last vestage of Jim Crow.'
3Erasure of Black History from US Commemorative Coins
The Trump administration is accused of actively whitewashing American history by removing previously approved designs featuring Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges from US 250th-anniversary commemorative coins. Despite a 2016 act requiring a 'complete picture of American history' and the inclusion of women, the Treasury Department, under Trump, replaced these figures with 'founding fathers' and potentially Trump's own image, ignoring the US Mint's extensive public consultation and design process.
Ventris Gibson, former Director of the US Mint, states that the current coins 'are not representative of the designs that were approved by the former secretary Janet Yellen, approved by the Commission on Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institute, and others.' She emphasizes the 2016 act 'said very clearly they wanted a complete picture of American history' and 'to include women.' Gibson asserts, 'We have been cut out. Cut out. We aren't the the Treasury is not even following the legislation.' Roland Martin notes that Trump and his treasury secretary 'totally ignored the committee as well.'
4Academic Freedom Under Attack at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University cancelled an ethics and public policy graduate course after the professor, Dr. Leonard Bright, refused to comply with a new state-mandated ban on teaching gender and race ideology. This action is part of a broader conservative political agenda in Texas to control university curricula, impose right-wing zealots in leadership, and suppress academic freedom, particularly concerning topics of diversity and social justice.
Dr. Leonard Bright explains his ethics class was 'cancelled 3 days into the spring semester by the dean' because he 'refused to submit the information needed to be exempt from a new ban on teaching gender and race ideology.' Roland Martin frames this as 'Texas is being governed by the Republican Taliban,' driven by 'white Republican politics' aiming for 'white domination, white control, adherence to a white rightwing ideology.' Dr. Bright notes that these policies were 'backdoored... through our board of regents' after failing in the legislature.
Bottom Line
The idea of creating an independent, African-American owned coin company to produce alternative commemorative coins featuring figures like Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges, bypassing government censorship.
This offers a direct counter-narrative to state-sanctioned historical erasure, allowing Black communities to control their own historical representation and provide tangible symbols of their heritage, independent of political whims.
Launch a crowdfunding campaign or seek private investment for an 'African-American Heritage Mint' to produce non-circulating, high-quality commemorative coins, creating a new market for culturally relevant historical artifacts.
The prediction that Donald Trump and his family will personally enrich themselves by $20 billion by January 2029, through brazen deals and disregard for ethical boundaries.
This highlights a perceived systemic corruption and abuse of power, suggesting that political office is being used as a direct vehicle for massive personal financial gain, potentially eroding public trust and democratic norms.
This is a warning for citizens to scrutinize financial dealings of political figures and for investigative journalists to track and expose such activities, potentially leading to legal challenges or public outcry.
Opportunities
African-American Heritage Mint
Establish a private, Black-owned company to design and produce commemorative coins and medallions featuring significant African-American historical figures and events. These would be non-circulating but serve as powerful symbols of heritage and counter the erasure of Black history from official government coinage.
Lessons
- Challenge and scrutinize political polls, especially those that appear to contradict established trends or target specific demographics, by examining their methodology and potential biases.
- Support legal and grassroots efforts to overturn felony disenfranchisement laws, recognizing their historical roots in voter suppression and their disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
- Advocate for the accurate and inclusive representation of history in national symbols and educational curricula, actively pushing back against attempts to whitewash or erase contributions of Black and other marginalized groups.
- Engage in direct political action and mobilization, particularly in states like Texas, to counter conservative agendas that undermine academic freedom, diversity, and democratic participation.
- Adopt a 'radical King' approach to social justice, prioritizing mass protests, economic boycotts, and direct confrontation of injustice over symbolic acts of service on holidays like MLK Day.
Quotes
"This is a Democratic primary. And even in the Emerson poll when you drill down to the specific people who self-identify as Democrats, Crockett leads. So that's a first piece. Then you get into the whole piece around the um the small the incredibly small sample size of this poll."
"There is a predisposition to want to feel comfortable to actually attack uh the black woman candidate that I don't think there's a lot of self-awareness about in the uh Democratic party."
"This isn't about black or white. This is about right or wrong. Our president is a convicted felon. And the judges that I will appear before who took an oath, sworn to uphold the United State and Tennessee Constitution, they are going to have to look themselves in the mirror because the future is coming."
"The law says no living president shall go on a coin. So I want to offer Okay, if you want to put Trump on there, a significant part of our American history is that we had an African-American president and an African-American vice president. That's historical for all of our 250 years."
"I don't give a damn about day of service... I am sick of Dr. King being positioned as a civil rights bobblehead... Dr. King was a radical. Dr. King was somebody who had a radical vision for this country."
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
SHOCK BREAKING: SHOCKED TRUMP STORMS OUT OF SUPREME COURT IN RAGE!
"This episode dissects Donald Trump's contentious Supreme Court appearance regarding birthright citizenship, the growing disillusionment of right-wing figures like Alex Jones with Trump, and the political fallout from Kristi Noem's husband's alleged cross-dressing scandal."
Rev. C.T. Vivian talks MLK and staring death in the face. #MLKDay2026
"Civil Rights icon Rev. C.T. Vivian reflects on a lifetime of struggle, from facing childhood bullies to confronting Jim Clark, and shares his profound insights on the continuous fight for freedom and the true cost of a movement."
Trump And Hegseth BUSTED For Iran War LIES!! Tucker Carlson & Joe Kent SLAM Israel’s Aggression
"The Young Turks expose alleged lies from the Trump administration and Pete Hegseth about the Iran war, criticize Israel's role in escalating conflicts, and highlight widespread political corruption, while Melania Trump addresses Epstein ties and Trump attacks his conservative critics."
A major shift is happening right now
"Donald Trump is losing his grip on the Republican party and movement, evidenced by internal dissent and a broader political landscape grappling with a collapse of accountability and truth."