Photo: Roland Martin, June 19, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Journalist Roland Martin is having a war of words on Twitter. Martin, who has in the past called reparations a pipe dream, is finding himself feeling the heat online from Foundational Black Americans (FBAs) who are pro-reparations. An FBA is any person classified as Black who can trace their bloodline lineage back to the American system of slavery.
FBAs have called out Martin’s undying loyalty to the Democrats and his urging of Black voters to continue to elect Dems.
Martin, the host of the podcast Roland Martin Unfiltered, is hitting back.
FBA Mal tweeted, “& y’all know the most pathetic thing about @rolandsmartin? He’s doing all this shilling & putting himself on the wrong side of history for the hope of getting a job. Not his own National media platform or political power, but a job!”
Martin replied, “These FBA people are DUMB. These fools actually think I want a political job. I EMPLOY 15 folks. Just added a 6th show to the @BlkStarNetwork. Adding 2 more. Launching a 24-hour streaming channel. I OWN 100% of the company. Run along, child. Grown man busy BUILDING a company.”
Black Star Network is a Black TV network started by Martin in September 2021. It features new shows and live-stream Black news and information focused on politics, technology, and culture. It is
available on all platforms, including AppleTV, Roku, Samsung, XBox, and Amazon FireTV, The Los Angeles Sentinel reported. It has received funding from the AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — the largest trade union of public employees in the U.S.
In 2018, Martin gave a shout out to AFSCME’s leader, Lee Saunders.
“Big props to Lee Saunders and the folks at @afscme. They were the FIRST underwriter/sponsor of #rolandmartinunfiltered. I pitched them Dec. 21 and they came onboard Dec. 22. Thanks for believing in us!” Martin tweeted.
American Descendants of Slaver (ADOS) co-founder Yvette Carnell remarked at the connection between AFSCME and Martin’s Black Star Network.
“Wait… what? This is not how business funding usually works. This is not venture capital or a business loan; this is a political party playing puppet master to a Black media company. No wonder Roland makes it his business to trash #ADOS at every opportunity. A tangled web,” Carnell tweeted.
Photo: Roland Martin attends the premiere of Dave Chappelle’s untitled documentary during the closing night celebration for the 20th Tribeca Festival, at Radio City Music Hall, on June 19, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
