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“The issue for me was I wasn’t having a conversation just with Megyn Kelly,” Martin, 49, tells PEOPLE. “I was having a conversation with the nation because there were things that need to be said that I did. I want Americans to stop being clueless about what has happened and deep, embedded history of race in this country and how it still impacts us today. We need to be trying to change that, rid ourselves of that instead of just ignore it, hope it goes away.”
Martin remembers the atmosphere in theTodayshow’s New York City studio beingtense before he went on air.
“Her staff was very nervous. Her folks were on edge. They came in and out of our room several times with what they hoped to accomplish,” the#RolandMartinUnfilteredhost recalls.
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Now he hopes that not only will the situation force a national conversation about race, but it will also encourage news institutions to diversify.
“I’m hopeful that NBC is going to put some African Americans in to host that hour of that show, but I’m also hoping to see an increase of African Americans who are showrunners, who are top-notch producers on these shows as well,” Martin explains. “And certainly I would hope that the media will learn to use their different platforms to address the issues, not skirt these issues.”
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In the meantime, Martin would like to see the former Fox News host use her platform for change.
“Even though she’s lost her show on NBC, I would hope that she would be willing to use her platform to speak to critical issues,” Martin says. “This should not be the end of a conversation.”
source: people.com
