Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Discusses Black and Blue Lives With TD Jakes

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)/CONEL, will join the “T.D. Jakes” national talk show, hosted by best-selling author, film and music producer, and entrepreneur T.D. Jakes, in its continued Conversations with America series on Sept. 29.

During the episode, Jakes will visit the scene of the crime in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. He will meet with families, officials and experts to discuss continued injustices and determine how to get beyond the black and blue and move toward justice everywhere.

Addressing the polarizing and escalating racial tension in our nation, the episode will feature a robust panel of guests discussing the ways to begin to fix and heal the country, including Rodriguez; Dr. Patrick Graham, president/CEO of the Urban League of Central Carolinas; Kerr Putney, Charlotte police chief; Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, twin sister of Terrance Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Sharon Cooper, sister of Sandra Bland; Nakia Jones, a Ohio police officer whose video went viral; Cornell William Brooks, president of NAACP; Lisa Bloom, civil rights attorney; and Cheryl Dorsey, retired LAPD Sergeant.

“We need a multiethnic movement,” said Rodriguez. “When white, brown, black and yellow come together, we will see things happen. Today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity. We are what we tolerate, and silence is not an option. We can reform this but it will require all Americans to open up their eyes, repudiate myopia and say enough is enough.”

Rodriguez is president of NHCLC/CONEL, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, which serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and hundreds of thousands of additional congregations spread worldwide throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. He is also the recipient of the 2015 Rosa Parks Courage Award, which is given annually to honor individuals who have fought for civil rights in Alabama and across the nation.

“If the global church would rise with one voice, we could effectively and successfully address the racial divide, but it requires unity and deliberation,” Rodriguez continued.

“T.D. Jakes” is a newly syndicated daily one-hour talk show that premiered in more than 50 TEGNA markets on Monday, Sept. 12 as well as on OWN Sept. 19. The show and its original social media content features real personal stories and honest conversations with celebrity and non-celebrity guests. It is filmed before a live studio audience in Los Angeles and airs weekdays in afternoon time periods around the country. The series is produced by Tegna Media, 44 Blue Productions, Jakes’ TDJ Enterprises and enLight Productions.

For local listings, visit tdjakes.com.