Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 108

Roland Martin Talks About The Emotional Shift In Super Bowl XLIX Commercials

Roland Martin talks about the changes in the infamous Super Bowl 49  commercials with Ahmad Islam, co founder of Common Ground in Chicago. “There are times when you run out of jokes. You’re also in a situation where the mood in the country is sensitive. You still had humor with celebrities. But there’s just a movement […]

Myrlie Evers-Williams Resigns From Alcorn State

Source: Bob Burks / MS News Now Myrlie Evers-Williams has resigned as distinguished scholar-in-residence at Alcorn State University. In a statement, Evers-Williams said she will leave her teaching and mentoring duties at her alma mater to devote more energy to the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, a non-profit organization that supports scholarship, historic preservation and […]

Roland Martin Show Audio Podcast: Witnesses Continue Assault On Holder, Obama During Loretta Lynch AG Confirmation Hearings

The debate over legalizing marijuana in the United States rages on. Do you think legalizing pot is this generations prohibition? Day 2 of the Loretta Lynch Attorney General confirmation hearings witnesses continue to rip current AG Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, but none of the Senators who spoke oppose Lynch’s nomination. Detroit police officer […]

NewsOne Now Audio Podcast: Black Republican Rep. Will Hurd Talks GOP Outreach, Steve Scalise, Loretta Lynch

GOP Rep. Will Hurd Talks Minority Outreach, Steve Scalise Civil Rights Leader Meeting  “When I was a member of the C.I.A., I knew who my enemies were,” Rep. Will Hurd said jokingly to Roland Martin, host of “NewsOne Now.” “If I can navigate the back allies of Pakistan, I can figure out how to get […]

NewsOne Now Audio Podcast: Marissa Alexander Is Freed, Was Justice Finally Served?

Marissa Alexander Is Released From Jail, Will Serve The Rest Of Her Sentence On House Arrest Marissa Alexander, the Black woman who many feel was unfairly jailed per Florida’s seemingly disparate application of its “Stand Your Ground” laws, was released from prison Tuesday afternoon, according to local Jacksonville station 4JAX. Alexander will come home, but […]

Congresswoman Corrine Brown On Marissa Alexander: ‘If She Had Killed Him She Wouldn’t Have Gotten That Much Time’

Roland Martin talks to Congresswoman Corrine Brown about Marissa Alexander, the Florida woman who was finally set free after a judge wanted her to spend 60 years in jail after firing a warning shot toward her abusive husband. “This is a true example of what is wrong with the justice system. If she had killed […]

In ‘Selma,’ Trench Coats Amid Protests [VIDEO]

Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer for “Selma,” explains how a heightened collar, colorful suits and coat pockets help transport viewers back to the violent but hopeful days of 1965.

Detroit Pastor Sheffield Acquitted Of Domestic Violence

Source: AP / The Detroit News Detroit — A pastor charged with misdemeanor domestic violence involving his estranged wife has been acquitted. Court records show a Wayne County jury on Tuesday returned the not guilty verdict in the case of the Rev. Horace Sheffield III. The charges stemmed from a Jan. 10, 2014, incident at […]

The Hunting Of Billie Holiday: How Lady Day Found Herself In The Middle Of The Federal Bureau Of Narcotics’ Early Fight For Survival

Source: Johann Hari / Politico From his first day in office in 1930, Harry Anslinger had a problem, and everybody knew it. He had just been appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics—a tiny agency, buried in the gray bowels of the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.—and it seemed to be on the brink […]

Baltimore Woman, 56, Dies After Delivering Twins She Waited Years For

Source: Meredith Engel / New York Daily News A gifted Baltimore woman is dead just days after giving birth to twins at age 56. Lisa Swinton McLaughlin, the medical director for the American Red Cross in Baltimore, spent more than 10 years trying fertility treatments before finally conceiving last year with her husband, Michael. Her […]