continues. host: joining us this morning from tallahassee, florida is jack brewer, the former nfl player and founder and chair of the jack brewer foundation. sir, let's begin with your group. what is its mission? guest: our mission is to go into communities, people that are the most underserved and voiceless, and uplift them.

that includes jails and prisons across the united states and the world. we also do a lot of relief, global relief efforts. anytime there is a natural disaster or there is a crisis on hand. we are usually the first on the ground to bring relief to those who are the most voiceless. host: how did you go from nfl player to this type of work? tell us your story. guest: well, you know, as a kid one of my first memories was watching the famine in africa, in ethiopia in 1985 and 1986. i was about five years old. i grew up a young child watching that famine. i had always told my mom that i wanted to serve and i wanted to help people. i remember looking at the tv screen and seen kids that looked like me, and so it was a moment that i will never forget. one of the first memories i have in my life, and since then i

have really dedicated my life to empowering the most underserved in africa, in haiti, and across these united states. host: you focus on the issues that are impacting black men and boys in the united states. specifically in that community are you focusing on? guest: the first thing is fatherhood. we don't have enough fathers in our homes. too many of our young black boys are growing up in houses that are broken and not having enough positive male influences. you see that in the spikes in our juvenile crime numbers, see that in our rates of incarceration. just this last year we had a 21% increase in juvenile crime. the best majority of those kids are young black boys. if you go into our education system, our schools, and you start to see that our reading and math levels are in the tank. you literally compare some of our neighborhoods in communities to third world countries when it comes to reading, writing, and

math. those are epidemics. they stem from a cultural crisis. we have a lot of cultural issues. our kids are listening to the wrong music, the wrong influences. i just made a comment the other day, some of my friends, when we grew up it was cool to have a baby mama. we actually looked at each other and put our chest up if we had women without getting married. for me, my messages, let's get back to christian principles. skip back to real family values in our homes, in our communities, and let's start teaching our kids what righteousness means and reestablish a fear of god again. particularly in black america. host: is it your christian faith that drives you alone, or is it also a political philosophy? guest: i would say my christian faith drives my political

philosophy. without that, you know, god has been so good to me and so good to all of us. no, you live in the united states of america, where billions of people from all over the world want to be here. just in that alone we should be thankful and grateful, but it is definitely my commitment and passion for our lord and savior jesus christ that drives me. and that drives my political beliefs. because my conservative values have not always been there. just like my faith had not always been strong. so, i want to see young people across this nation with a fear of god again, because what is happening in our culture, all of the confusion, and just look at the numbers. look at the dropout rates. 71% of kids that drop out of high school are fatherless. were five times more likely to live in poverty if you are fatherless. so, the numbers are there. we just have to really attack

the root cause issue that can help uplift these communities. host: when you go into these communities you are talking about, what do you say about being a conservative? how would you convince those that they should be a conservative? 3 guest: a lot of -- guest: a lot of times it doesn't take convincing. my message is clear. when i walk in i have my bible and usually people can see and feel the holy spirit when we move and talk in different rooms. if you come to a prison with me or an inner-city community with me i think you see the message. and i invite you to come and witness and see the power of god . i believe and i have seen that young man, particularly young black men, are yearning for a leader. are yearning for mentorship. are yearning for a coach and somebody that can speak into their lives.

so, these things are not pushed away. they are actually yearned for. most kids want direction. they want leadership during they want discipline. unfortunately we have a society that has not been providing that. host: president trump you to the commission on the social status of lachman and boys -- black men and boys. what does this group do? guest: we are a bipartisan commission built up of probably 80% democrats. you know, president trump signed this, newest commission in our country, signed it into office during his first term. obviously he gets no credit for that. but this group focuses on doing deep studies. you know, the effects of health on young black communities. the effect on society and the different challenges young black men and boys face in the united states of america. everyone has different challenges and specifically when

it comes to the culture issues, and i believe our young black voice in america have probably more challenges than anyone, just given the state of society and what has happened around the culture. when you don't have a father in the house the things you have to overcome our so great that you have to name this a crisis. you start seeing 72%, 73% of kids in one particular community born without a father in the house, that is a crisis we ought to do something about. president trump understood that. senator marco rubio at the time, who lobbied for this, new that. and probably the biggest voice of all -- she is like a mother to me -- is congresswoman fredricka wilson, who is our chairperson. she is a democrat. she has dedicated her life to young black men and boys.

this is her legacy. she leads us, she guides us, she speaks truth, and we look at her like a mother figure. i tip my hat off to her and so many others trying to uplift our black men across america. i want to invite our viewers to join us, give you their comments and questions this morning. here is how we have divided the lines. democrats can call in at (202) 748-8000. republicans at (202) 748-8001. and independents, (202) 748-8002 . while we wait for those calls, this commission, what initiatives is the commission doing to address fatherlessness? guest: some of our criminal justice work. some of our lobbying efforts and pushes to do more deep dives. understanding more the reasons

why personally and my biggest push now is on the juvenile site. as i mentioned, we had a huge spike in juvenile crime last year, 2024. it ticked up. that is a lot of juvenile crime, but we have efforts going on right now. gun violence is going up. robberies are up. you know, violent crimes are up in our nation when it comes to that demographic. so, we've really got to do something about that. that starts with our schools, that starts with our home. so, we are pushing more sports programs, more mentorship programs, and getting active in the lives of some of these young boys. so, i think it is really -- i think it is really important for us to understand that in order for us to get some of these root causes that we really have to

take time to partner with our local communities, partner with our local government when it comes to our criminal justice. we have to go in and partner with the department of corrections, the department of juvenile justice, and speak to them so they understand what is really happening in the communities. i think there is a lot of disconnect often times when you start to try to take on some of these cultural issues. those are the things we are trying to do during just ring the light, educate, do more research, and bring more practical solutions to a number of these problems. host: jack brewer is our guest this morning. former nfl player and founder and chair of the jack brewer foundation. he is also on the commission on the social status of black men and boys. he's joining us from tallahassee this morning, where he is there doing foundation work. kind enough to pull over and join us from a parking lot in

tallahassee. cindy in montgomery, alabama. independent. hi, cindy. caller: how are you? host: go ahead. caller: i just want to concur and agree with mr. brewer about getting back to practical -- i mean, practical things that will work for the community. getting back to basics, if you will. i agree and concur with what he is saying and i was glad to see him this morning. host: before you go, what does it mean to you to get back to basics? caller: i think that so many -- at times we do too much, and i think we just need to get back to some common sense on some of these issues that is going on in our country. host: all right. thanks, cindy. jack river? guest: cindy is right on. that is what we are pushing for. we are pushing for a basic common sense approach to a lot of these cultural issues.

saying yes sir and yes ma'am, opening a door for women. looking people in the eye. having etiquette. basic training that many of us grew up with. a lot of our kids are not getting it. when you have children in the united states of america it doesn't come with a guide or playbook. a lot of these things you have to be taught. we are now seeing a generation that were not all taught a lot of the things you would assume that they were. so, you really have to meet people where they are. you have to be real about things. you know, and so when you start to see, again, juvenile crime spiking up, you start to see school systems, entire school systems where not a single kid is proficient at reading or math, i mean, this is an epidemic. so when you start to produce population that cannot read and write on a gray level, there is a major issue with that. you have to start asking why.

why starts at home, and we have to start thing our families back. have to start holding parents more accountable and uplifting our men to man up, get in their houses, and raise their children the way they are supposed to be raised. host: we will go to kenny, democratic caller. caller: i wanted to say thank you for the work you are doing. my question is about these type of programs. i run a nonprofit that does similar things but with legacy flight academy. my question is with the programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, how do we still in this administration, still be able to continue to hit those things you are talking about, still be able to impact black men around the country with these organizations that are losing funding? host: i think he is talking about the dei initiatives that were cut by the president. guest: yeah, i mean, listen.

dei, that is an entire conversation. i don't think this administration looks at dei as programs that are directed towards camino, black men and boys, programs directed toward uplifting our juveniles. i think and i know that the president sees these issues when it comes to our black men and boys, when it comes to our criminal justice, the things we are doing around the first step act, opportunity zones. he just has a different approach and an approach i agree with in targeting those areas. a lot of these dei programs got so involved with whether it is transgender issues and this sex and that sex, and it started to become so much about identity that it lost its ability to impact the communities we need to impact. the bible tells us we need to serve the poorest of the poor,

the voiceless of the voiceless, the most underserved children. that is what we need to focus on. we need to focus on, like you said, to think about the aviation industry and the need and ability for young black boys just to get access to that is a huge deal. so, i can tell you that more and more programs you will see started, particularly around hud and some of the projects that scott turner has going on. scott turner is a dear friend of mine who is now the secretary of housing and urban development. we have initiatives scott is working on when it comes to criminal justice and housing and uplifting the poorest of the poor, to give them an opportunity to live the american dream. there is a lot of programs coming. i can tell you, be patient. it has only been, what, 40 days since president trump has been in office? i think you are going to see more of these major initiatives being pushed.

i know i just met with our chairwoman, congresswoman frederick wilson, and we have some big plans for 2025 and how we get into the communities that uplift our black boys. host: we will go to alan in wheeler's bird, ohio. independent. caller: good morning. i have not followed nfl football at all in my life. this is my first time seeing mr. brewer, and have got to say, i am thoroughly impressed with what i have heard. and, brother, i just want you to know as a fellow believer i'm going to pray for you. because i believe that truth changes lives. it doesn't matter whether you are black or white. doesn't matter who you are. the word of god is quick, it is powerful, it is sharper than any sword. when you go into communities like you are doing, helping men

with their physical needs, and then bringing them the truth a in their soul, you are going to change lives, brother. and i just wanted to thank you for what you are doing and let you know i'm going to be praying for you. guest: thank you so much, man. god bless you and keep you, and you said it. a lot of times people want to put words on things, but when you lead with the word of god, like i said, you can walk into a room sometimes where these are the most broken man. we have hundreds of the youth offenders in our programs who have committed heinous crimes. the word of god just gets to their hearts and it softens their hearts, and it changes them and reforms them and you see it happening, and it can happen across america and it will. it just takes people being bold enough to say it. you know, asking and demanding for the fear of god to be lead

and put and spiritually set into our homes and children. i think that is what this nation needs right now in these times. host: jack brewer, you are in tallahassee today. you were in minnesota lobbying for a built-in and changed under athletes from competing in women's sports. why is this important to you? guest: first off, i am a pro athlete. i played in the national football league. i'm a coach now. i have daughters. i have a young daughter who has huge dreams of playing sports. tennis, soccer. and i have always been an advocate for what is right. for me to watch, particularly in minnesota where i went to college, the captain of the gophers, and went on to be the captain of the vikings, to see that state literally embracing men to play with women, it is really -- it is heart-wrenching, man. and you hear the stories of riley keynes and so many of these girls that are forced to

be in a locker room with men changing, i mean, come on. we have lost our mind and we have lost our way. thank sports is not just on the field of competition, it is the locker room, it is the team. those are private places. to try to start combining those things, i think, is taking it way too far. you know, there is a reason when you look at this issue why you never see women trying to play in men's sports. you only see men trying to play in women's sports. there is a reason for that. this is not natural, this is not right, and people are taking advantage of and in states across this country. people need to say enough is enough and stop the madness. host: senate democrats on monday blocked a gop-led bill similar to ban transgender athletes from women's sports. here is the hawaii senator on the floor, talking about what republicans are trying to do here.

>> what republicans are doing today is inventing a problem to stir up a culture war and divide people against each other. and worse, they are trying to distract people from what they are actually doing. which is at a time when people are finding it harder and harder to afford the basic necessities, at a time when diseases we eradicated almost 20 years ago are making a comeback and killing kids, at a time when people are getting on flights and saying an extra prayer or breathing heavier, you have donald trump and the republicans saying, you know what, let's cut taxes for billionaires, let's take money from regular people and the things they rely on -- social security, medicare, medicaid, the affordable care act -- let's take hundreds of billions of dollars from there and shovel it into the pockets of the richest people to have ever walked this earth. because that is what we need and

that is what people voted for. republicans are focusing on the wrong 1%. trans people are not the reason people cannot afford groceries or health care or housing. the other 1%, the top 1% economically is responsible for a lot of that. and that is who republicans are desperate to help. and they are doing it by going after some of the most vulnerable people in our society. host: jack brewer, how do you respond to the senator from hawaii? guest: i mean, there is just a lot of deception in that speech, you know? this is what, unfortunately, some democrats have decided to do, is to divert away from social issues and cultural issues and actually blue-collar issues. so, these are all spiritual. for you to tell us society and tell a little boy that he can be

a girl, when you start to do that in the mainstream, in the media, in schools, and start to tell a little boy you can be what you want, that is so ungodly. you are cursing that entire generation, and that is what you are doing. i don't care if there is .01% of transgender, it is just the messaging of telling our 5, 6, seven-year-old boy he can become a girl or girl they can become a boy. kids need direction in america. kids need adults to do what god put us here to do, and that is to protect them and tell them what is right and wrong. [indiscernible] allow young children to make that decision. and then to start talking about social security, president trump has cut taxes on social security. already cut taxes on tips. these things are affecting the middle-class americans, the hard-working americans. so for him to use that deception of the millionaire/billionaire talk to stir up division is

ridiculous. if you talk to female athletes, i just left minnesota, went to high school and talk to girls of all ages. they do not want boys in their locker room. it does not matter if there is just one boy in the locker room with 20 or 30 girls, they are affecting everyone. every time team has to play one transgender athlete that enters a tournament and there are 200 girls in that tournament, they affect that entire situation. we have to realize this issue is bigger than many on the left want to make it out to be. you hear the story of riley gaines. you hear the story of the four girls who took the volleyball to the face, paralyzed, ended her career. these things are happening. the state championships in track and volleyball, these exports do not need men taking them over. title ix was so important to our

nation giving girls the opportunity to play. it is not ok for us to continue to market to men that cannot make it in minutes exports that it is ok for them to drop -- make it in men's sports that it is a pay for them to drop down and compete against women who are not as big, strong, or fast. it is not right. host: political headline, gavin newsom breaks with democrats on trans athletes in sports. he made the remark on his podcast with charlie kirk. crystal in louisiana, good morning, welcome to the conversation. caller: mr. brewer, i think it is wonderful what you are doing for these children and your foundation. do you have any programs for the mothers of these boys to help guide them in the right direction? guest: yes, ma'am, we do.

we work with empowering young women since we were established 20 years ago. when we get the young boys, we uplift their families. we have literally millions of pounds of food we distribute every year to the families of our kids. we support these children not just inside of prison but when they get out. we stay in touch with their families. we do programming to help them build that relationship back with their son, with their child. we do a lot of family services around that. we are a full circle organization. when someone leaves our care, if we have a program inside a prison, we make it out, they become part of our community and family. we have mothers that come and volunteer with us.

we worship together, we pray together. we try to make our initiative a family one. it has been special to see some of the stories of the families reunified and the young girls and daughters. some of the folks get out of our program and they become coaches. they volunteer when we go out in the community and do our release work after natural disasters -- relief work after natural disasters. it has been a beautiful thing to see everyone come around in so much support when it comes to working with these black men and boys. host: peter in baltimore, independent. caller: good morning. i just want to congratulate mr. brewer and encourage him for the work he is doing. i was touched when he said the young guys are looking for a

leader, for mentors. this is really good. i also wanted to ask whether he has any program on the educational front. where i come from, a very poor background, i know what education has done for me. encouraging family values, encouraging young ones to go to school gives them a better view of life and gives them an opportunity. i just wanted to know if he had any educational programs for the kids when they come out. thank you. guest: yeah. one of our big focus areas is reading and math sufficiency. we did a study a couple of years back and looked at many of the children in our program. they were on average about three grade levels below their age group. we started to try to address

those reading and math proficiency levels to different technology and training courses. inside of our classes, we delivered professional development skills, fatherhood development skills. we do full etiquette training in classes. we have pretty comprehensive evidence-based program we run inside of our prisons and jails. we do parenting classes. we do speech classes, communication classes, and also vocational skills. we think it is very important. some people will not go to college. we empower folks whether they want to get their cdl license, we sponsor those on many occasions. we work with different partners that can help drive different educational certifications and training opportunities for the folks in our care and in our programs. we are huge believers in education.

i like to say i was the first and my family to go to college. by the grace of god, i went on and got my masters degree. football was the way i was able to pay for college. i know a lot of kids are not going to be able to go to college and become a pro football player. we want to arm them with the tools it takes for them to be qualified in the workforce. we are always looking and finding more ways to educate our population. host: carol, indianapolis, democratic caller, your turn. caller: hi, brother brewer. i like what you are doing. god is using you. i will continue to pray for you. you just keep on doing what you are doing because it might not look like you are doing a whole lot but god is going to bless it. he is. in indianapolis, i have a

sisterhood of programs similar to years. it is smaller. but god is using me also to help people. i get out and mentor people. and i give out tracks every week as god has provided me. you just keep on doing what you are doing, son. i am praying for you. host: all right, carol. jack brewer? guest: thank you so much, carol. that means a lot. i know we are getting announced as democrats, republicans, and independents. it shows politics cannot divide us. the word of god unites all. no matter where you stand politically, our faith speaks very loud. i think we all see the need in our nation, particularly when it comes to the demographic we are talking about.

we all know we need uplifting. we know the only way to improve on things happening across our nation is the word of god, prayer, and the fear of god. we are establishing that again in this nation. it has been incredible to hear from so many different people. the last caller, thank you for your prayers. i pray for your mission as well. just know we are on one accord. host: jack brewer, how do you get the money you need to do the work that you are doing? guest: god provides. i do not know. i smile when i say that. i have been in where i have had to liquidate my retirement accounts. i have been in situations where we have had to borrow and scratch and move funds, personally, borrow from friends and everything. god has always provided.

now, we get a series of grants from different places. we have people that donate to us. one day, we needed $50,000. i was trying to start a new initiative and expand. i wanted to rent this space in this building for kids. literally, a week later, someone donated that exact amount of money. got always provides that. i am blessed to be able to do media. we have a pretty good social media presence. people see what we are doing. usually when they see what we are doing, and especially when they come and see it firsthand, oftentimes god moves their heart to support us. we have been blessed. to answer your question more specifically, it is a combination of individual donors, some corporations donate to us and make us part of their commitment to the community. and we also receive some funds from the state as well.

host: gel in oklahoma, republican -- joe in oklahoma, republican. caller: good morning. first time caller. i am a little bit nervous. a couple of things i hear from both sides is sympathy, scientific, bad things, good things. i want to thank jack brewer. i'm 63 years old. i was brought up to respect women, never hit women. i do not know what is right, transgender, but i do believe we were taught as a society that men are men for a reason, women are women for a reason. i tried to teach my 16-year-old daughter that. whatever happened to us stop

saying, that is a transgender. i do believe women have the raw end of the deal. i want to thank jack for finding this pretty i wish that i could do more. whatever happened to stop labeling? i truly believe -- my 16-year-old daughter came home to me one day because she works with transgenders. i respect her belief. she knows what i believe. but she came home about a month ago and she said, daddy, the only problem is now i feel bad about where i work because i lost it to a boy who believes he is a girl. something is wrong. when does this stop? host: all right, joe. jack brewer, your final thoughts? guest: we have got to start

talking. whether we are talking about young black men and boys or transgenders in our country, there is a reason you see a spike in juvenile crime and the number of transgender men trying to play sports against women. all of these things are growing for a reason. my prayer is as a nation we can start understanding foundationally we have to get back to christ. it has to get back to the lord and savior. we have to get back to being able to tell a child that god created man and woman paired we cannot say that in our schools. we cannot say that in our homes. how are kids supposed to know? we have a lot of kids confused right now. we also have mental health issues. we all know in our nation right now we have a spike in mental health issues.

we cannot exacerbate our mental health situation in the nation trying to appease and tell people what makes them feel good. sometimes, people need to know the truth and the truth shall set them free. as an organization and commission on the social status of black men and boys and at the jack brewer foundation, we remain committed to fight these causes in florida and across the united states. i welcome anyone at any time to come see our work and see what it does. it is founded on the principles of the bible. we are going into communities a lot of people do not want to go into, whether prisons, jails, juveniles, going into inner-city areas, and going into disaster areas. i encourage everybody to check out our work, support our work. the only way we make america better is not through our politics but through our service.

i encourage everyone to go out and serve those underserved folks around them. let's make america stronger again. host: our viewers can go to thejackbrewerfoundation.org to n

reserve fund.