Martin was among many to share condolences about Fairfax in the wake of the murder-suicide in which the former Virginia Lt. Gov shot and killed his wife before killing himself.
Hours after a public post about former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife, Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax, drew significant backlash on social media, Roland Martin revealed early Friday that he had deleted the post.
“Last night I received an email from Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. leadership regarding my IG-Threads-Facebook post on the Justin Fairfax murder-suicide. It that said that the Grand Grammateus was requesting “that I ask you to remove the reference and pictures related to Sigma Pi Phi on your post” in order “to adhere to the Boulé’s social media policy on sharing member names and images of our society on social media,” Martin wrote.
He added, “I never want to delete social posts, even when people disagree. Discourse is valuable in any society. As a member, I am doing it, but it certainly is not my desire. I also made clear that I would publicly state the reason for this. And I’ll make one thing clear: #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the Black Star Network is committed to covering this story and others, as well as the impact on Black women, Black men. And we will continue to demand that brothers as individuals and the leadership of Black male organizations should take to combat domestic violence and confront mental health. We can’t tout “I am my brother’s keeper” if we are silent and complacent on these issues.”
Martin held a panel discussion on the mental health of Black men during his show on Thursday, after it was discovered that Fairfax, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Virginia in 2021, shot and killed Wanzer Fairfax before turning the gun on himself.
The death of Wanzer Fairfax and the manner in which she died sent shockwaves across the country, adding to a growing conversation about femicide in relation to recent headlines.
In his original post, Martin reflected on his shared fraternity history with Fairfax and revealed that Wanzer Fairfax had once recommended him to serve as the commencement speaker at Norfolk State University.
“Today’s #RolandMartinUnfiltered is going to be very difficult,” he began. “I knew Justin and his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax. I was simply stunned this morning when hearing the devastating news of the murder-suicide. Justin was my #APhiA @apa1906network brother and in the same Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity chapter, Beta Nu. Last year, Cerina texted me to tell me that she recommended @norfolkstateuniversity have me as their commencement speaker, and was saddened when they picked someone else. Cerina, a dentist by profession, was an accomplished woman in her own right.”
He continued, “I was personally aware of how devastated Justin was about the two sexual assault allegations made against him when he was 48 hours away from becoming governor of Virginia in the wake of the Gov. Ralph Northam blackface scandal. His political career never recovered. We often texted, but did not in the last year. I am so saddened for their two children. They are now left without a mom and dad, and now have to carry the emotional toll of Justin’s actions. Domestic violence is real. And so is mental health. I have booked two Black male mental health experts to speak on this tonight. Please be in prayer for those kids, Cerina’s family and Justin’s. This tragedy had altered the lives of many.”
