Black Friday Briefing – August 29, 2025
Fed’s Lisa Cook Faces Ouster Threat & Quorum Risks (Aug. 26): President Trump’s unprecedented move to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has set off alarms about Fed independence and minority representation. Cook, the Fed’s only Black woman governor, is resisting Trump’s legally dubious demand that she resign over unproven allegations. If Cook’s seat is forced vacant, Trump could tilt the Fed’s balance of power just as rate-cut decisions loom this fall – potentially leaving a deadlock on the Board. Economists warn that destabilizing Cook’s tenure could spook markets and widen credit gaps for Black homeowners. Cook, whose term runs until 2038, insists she’s not going anywhere despite the political pressure.
HBCU N.C. Central Gets Quiet Facilities Fix After HVAC Crisis (Aug. 25): North Carolina approved an emergency fund injection for N.C. Central University following student outcry over stifling dorms with broken AC. The historically Black campus endured a summer housing crisis – including mold and 90° classrooms – that led to protests and arrests last spring. State officials, facing scrutiny for years of underfunding HBCU infrastructure, quietly diverted millions to repair dorm HVAC systems before fall semester. Students welcomed the fix but noted it came with little publicity, calling it a bandaid on a long-term facilities neglect problem.
Court Orders Body-Cam Release in Raleigh Taser Death (Aug. 26): A North Carolina judge compelled Raleigh police to publicly release body-camera footage from the January 2023 death of Darryl Tyree Williams, a 32-year-old Black man who was tased multiple times by officers. Raleigh authorities had fought to keep the videos sealed for over 19 months. The newly released footage shows Williams being tased six times, including after he appeared unresponsive. Family and advocates – who say Williams’ death didn’t get the attention of similar cases – hope the court-ordered transparency will reignite calls for accountability in his fatal arrest.
City Moves to Limit Predatory Tax Lien Sales (Aug. 25): New York City lawmakers advanced reforms to curb predatory tax lien sales after a Brooklyn senior nearly lost his paid-off home over a $5,000 water bill. At an Aug. 15 rally, officials blasted the lien sale program as a scheme that “steals wealth” from Black and immigrant homeowners. The state is now drafting a bill to remove small water debts from lien sales and impose a moratorium while cases like 62-year-old Filmore Brown’s are investigated. Advocates say the quiet push could save hundreds of Black families from unjust foreclosure.
National Guard Title 32 “Assist” Used as Workaround (Aug. 27): New revelations show the Trump administration exploiting a hybrid deployment status to insert National Guard troops into cities without local approval. Under “Title 32” orders, Guard units remain under state command but are federally funded – allowing them to aid in law enforcement tasks while bypassing Posse Comitatus limits. In Washington, D.C., Title 32 Guard teams made hundreds of arrests alongside police this month, and in California a similar order saw Guard troops rerouted to a remote drug raid unrelated to their protest control mission. Critics say this little-scrutinized tactic shifts costs to cities and blurs the line between military and civilian policing in Black communities.
Black-Led Credit Union Opens Branch in Banking Desert (Aug. 27): Hope Credit Union, a Black-led financial institution, cut the ribbon on a new branch in the Mississippi Delta, bringing banking services back to a town that lost its only bank. The Moorhead, MS location is the credit union’s latest push to “cure” banking deserts that strand Black residents without local financial access. For the first time in years, residents can deposit checks, get loans, and even use an ATM in town instead of driving miles away. The branch opening didn’t make national news, but locals celebrated it as a lifeline against predatory lenders and a victory for Black economic empowerment.
State Medicaid Cuts Jeopardize Black Maternal Care Hubs (Aug. 27): Advocates warn that steep Medicaid cutbacks are undermining maternal health programs in Black communities. In Arkansas – now the only state still refusing to extend Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum – officials have not renewed funding for a mobile maternity clinic serving rural Black mothers. That clinic will shut down next year absent intervention, cutting off prenatal care in several Delta towns. Arkansas also drops new moms from Medicaid just 60 days after birth, leaving nearly 40% of postpartum women uninsured. Health workers say these quiet cutbacks are fueling the state’s Black maternal mortality crisis, even as officials tout other “Healthy Baby” initiatives.
City Council Quietly Kills Hair-Bias Bill; CROWN Advocates Mobilize (Aug. 28): A proposed local CROWN Act to ban hair discrimination died without a vote in Mobile, Alabama, sparking outrage among civil rights groups. The majority-white city council quietly tabled the ordinance in committee this week, effectively killing protections for natural hairstyles at work and school. Black residents learned of the bill’s fate only through a brief memo – no public debate was held. Now state NAACP leaders and CROWN Act advocates are mobilizing a grassroots campaign to reintroduce the measure. They say Mobile’s Black community will make the council address hair bias in the open, rather than burying it in backrooms.
EPA Consent Decree Forces Lead Line Mapping in Providence (Aug. 28): A federal consent decree is compelling Providence Water to finally map and disclose all lead service lines in Rhode Island’s capital after allegations of environmental racism. A civil-rights complaint had charged that Providence’s haphazard partial pipe replacements were mostly in white neighborhoods – leaving many Black and Latino residents with disturbed lead pipes and higher contamination. Under the new EPA-brokered agreement, the utility must create a public inventory of every lead line and prioritize replacements in the hardest-hit areas. Community activists are declaring victory, saying this largely overlooked legal action will shine a light on lead risks that have lurked in Providence’s communities of color for decades.
LGBTQ+ Black Trans Housing Pilot Secures County Funding (Aug. 28): An innovative housing program for Black transgender residents in Pittsburgh earned crucial funding from Allegheny County this week. County officials quietly approved a grant to expand “Project T,” a trans-led initiative providing transitional housing and rental assistance to trans people facing homelessness. Black trans women who experience disproportionately high rates of housing instability and violence will be the focus of the expanded services. Organizers hailed the support as a lifesaver and a model for inclusive housing policy, even though the news flew under the radar. They plan to use the funds to open four new safe housing units by winter.
Missing Black Woman — Thaina Noresca, 27 (Lawrenceville, GA) (Aug. 29): Authorities in Georgia are seeking the public’s help to find Thaina Noresca, a 27-year-old mother of two who vanished from her Lawrenceville home on May 1. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a red Mickey Mouse T-shirt and brown sandals, with “Anina” tattooed on her right wrist. Family and police say Noresca has had zero contact, bank activity or social media use since – behavior completely out of character. Cameras caught her pawning her phone on the day she disappeared, and investigators are now working with Houston authorities in case she traveled there. Anyone with information is urged to contact Lawrenceville Police Detective D. Appleby at 770-670-5148.
Historic Black Delta Hospital Closes After Aid Snub (Aug. 26): The only hospital in a majority-Black Delta county shut its doors this week after Mississippi officials declined to extend emergency funding. The 50-bed Greenwood facility, founded during Jim Crow to serve Black patients, had limped along financially for years. With no Medicaid expansion or state rescue, it finally ran out of cash. Its quiet closure leaves tens of thousands of Black residents without nearby emergency care – a life-threatening gap. Community leaders blasted state policymakers for “abandoning the Delta,” noting that multiple rural hospitals in Black areas are on the brink without intervention.
Atlanta Grand Jury Declines to Indict Cop in Deacon’s Death (Aug. 28): Two years after 62-year-old church deacon Johnny Hollman Sr. died in a scuffle with Atlanta police, a Fulton County grand jury declined to bring any charges against the officer involved. Former APD officer Kiran Kimbrough had been fired after Hollman’s 2023 death – which occurred when Hollman was tased and restrained during a minor traffic accident dispute. Hollman’s family, who sat through the quietly convened grand jury, said they are “devastated but not surprised” by the no-bill decision. They plan to pursue a federal civil rights case. The lack of indictment received little coverage outside Atlanta, even as activists decry yet another unaccountable death of an unarmed Black man.
DEI Ban Prompts Memphis to End Minority Contracting Program (Aug. 29): A new Tennessee law targeting diversity initiatives has forced the City of Memphis and Shelby County to abruptly halt their Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise programs. The state’s ban on any race-conscious policies – which took effect July 1 – means local governments can no longer give minority contractors a leg up in bidding. Decades-old programs that helped Black-owned firms compete for public projects were quietly dismantled overnight. Black business owners in Memphis say the change received almost no notice and will push them out of opportunities. City officials, wary of state penalties, are considering “race-neutral” small business programs to replace the MWBE system.
West Indian Parade Doubles as Civic Drive in Brooklyn (Aug. 29): Organizers of Brooklyn’s West Indian American Day Carnival are using this year’s festivities to drive civic engagement in Caribbean diaspora communities. In the lead-up to the Labor Day parade, volunteers have been holding voter registration drives, small business pop-ups, and health clinics at mas camps and pan yards. The effort, largely overlooked by mainstream media, is turning a cultural celebration into a week-long civic fair for Caribbean-American residents. Organizers say leveraging the massive carnival for community uplift – from diaspora voting initiatives to youth mentorship – keeps the event true to its roots beyond the music and costumes.
DOJ Agreement Forces Reform in Small-City Police Dept (Aug. 26): The Justice Department reached a landmark consent decree with the Mount Vernon Police Department in New York, mandating reforms in the long-troubled small-city force. A federal investigation found patterns of excessive force, strip searches, and racial bias by Mount Vernon officers against Black residents. Under the agreement – which drew little national attention – the 200-officer department must adopt new use-of-force policies, bias training, and an independent monitor. Local activists, who spent years pushing for DOJ intervention in the predominantly Black suburb, welcomed the changes while warning that vigilance is needed to ensure the city follows through.
Poultry Plant Accused of Sidestepping Black Workers (Aug. 26): A coalition of Black farmers and former employees filed a civil rights complaint against a Mississippi poultry processor, alleging it systematically denied jobs to local Black residents. The complaint claims the company skirted hiring by recruiting visa guest workers from Central America to staff its plant at below-market wages. Black applicants from the county – which suffers high unemployment – were routinely passed over or not even contacted, according to the filing. The practice has drawn scant outside notice, but observers say it’s an open secret in the Deep South: some agriculture companies prefer easily exploitable foreign labor over hiring Black Americans. Federal regulators are now reviewing the allegations.
Black Farmers Rally Over Stalled Debt Relief Promises (Aug. 29): Dozens of Black farmers from across the country converged on USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to protest delays in the debt relief program promised to farmers of color. Wearing their faded work overalls and holding signs like “Keep Your Promise,” the farmers demanded action on the $2 billion Congress approved last year to forgive USDA loans. Bureaucratic holdups and new legal challenges have meant that very few Black farmers have seen their debts canceled. Organizers of the rally – which drew little media coverage – said many Black growers are on the brink of foreclosure and bankruptcy while the funds sit unused. They vowed weekly demonstrations until USDA makes good on its word.
Parents File Federal Complaint on School Hair Rules (Aug. 27): Black parents in Alabama have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education accusing a local school district of enforcing discriminatory hair policies. The complaint details how Black students were punished or removed from class because their natural hair, braids, or locs were deemed to violate the dress code’s “neat and tidy” clause. Alabama has not passed a CROWN Act, giving districts leeway to police hairstyles. The issue hasn’t made headlines beyond the region, but the parents – backed by the NAACP – are seeking a federal investigation. They argue that school rules targeting Black hair are rooted in the same racism as workplace hair discrimination, and should be banned in education settings.
Hip-Hop 50th Event Spurs Voter Drive in Newark (Aug. 27): A Newark block party celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary doubled as a one-stop civic engagement drive for the Black community. The outdoor jam featured not only DJs and graffiti artists but also voter registration tables, free legal advice booths, and health check stations. Local organizers purposefully merged culture with activism, noting that hip-hop was born as a response to social inequities. The hybrid event flew under the radar compared to star-studded hip-hop galas, but it registered over 300 new voters and expunged dozens of minor criminal records on the spot. Planners in other cities are now looking to Newark’s model of “party with a purpose” to harness hip-hop’s energy for community good.
Georgia Purge Raises Fears for Black Voters (Aug. 26): Georgia’s latest voter roll purge – quietly conducted this week – has voting rights groups scrambling to alert and re-register thousands of purged voters before local elections. The state removed an estimated 190,000 inactive voter registrations as part of “routine maintenance.” Advocates say the purge disproportionately hit Black voters in metro Atlanta and rural Black Belt counties, many of whom may not realize they’ve been dropped. With city elections upcoming in November, outreach teams are going door-to-door in Black neighborhoods to check registrations. The maintenance purge drew little coverage, coming in an off-year, but community leaders warn it could swing low-turnout races if affected voters aren’t reached in time.
New DOJ Grant Targets Missing Black Women Cold Cases (Aug. 29): The U.S. Justice Department quietly awarded a grant to a D.C.-based nonprofit to help crack cold cases of missing Black women and girls. The pilot program will fund a dedicated investigative unit – including retired detectives and community volunteers – to re-examine long-neglected disappearance cases in several cities. The grant comes after years of Black families criticizing law enforcement for ignoring their missing loved ones. Though it hasn’t made national news, advocates call it a hopeful step. They plan to focus first on unsolved cases in the Midwest and South, and push police to reopen files. “These sisters aren’t forgotten,” one activist said, “and now we have resources to go find them.”
Morgan State Lands Major Defense Research Grant (Aug. 27): Morgan State University, an HBCU in Baltimore, quietly secured a $20 million Department of Defense contract to lead a cybersecurity research consortium. It’s one of the largest federal research grants ever awarded to a historically Black college, aimed at developing AI-based cyber defense tools. The deal, announced on campus with little fanfare, will fund cutting-edge labs and provide hands-on training for Morgan State students. University officials said it validates HBCUs’ capacity to tackle high-tech research normally dominated by big predominantly white institutions. While largely ignored by national media, experts say investments like this could help close the R&D gap and diversify the defense tech talent pipeline.
NFL Player Funds Bail Relief in Hometown (Aug. 25): An NFL star is tackling bail reform in his hometown of Birmingham by donating $500,000 to launch a community bail fund. The veteran defensive back, who asked local organizers to keep his involvement low-key, grew up seeing family friends stuck in jail for minor offenses because they couldn’t afford bail. His contribution has already freed over two dozen people jailed for nonviolent charges in Jefferson County. The fund will also provide wraparound support to help those released return to court. Local criminal justice advocates praised the athlete for using his platform to address racial and economic disparities in the legal system – an effort largely unnoticed outside Alabama but potentially game-changing on the ground.
Milwaukee Somali Refugees Brace for End of TPS (Aug. 25): Somali-American families in Milwaukee are anxiously preparing for the possible termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that has allowed many to live and work in the U.S. for years. The Trump administration has signaled it may not renew TPS for several African countries, part of a broader rollback of humanitarian immigration programs. That news has gotten minimal coverage, but Milwaukee’s tight-knit Somali community is spreading the word in mosques and markets. If TPS expires, thousands of Somalis – including longtime neighbors who fled civil war – could face deportation. Local advocates and the mayor are quietly lobbying in Washington to extend protections, warning that uprooting these residents would devastate families and businesses in the city’s growing African immigrant hub.
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Hello, i appreciate that you cover stories i have not heard elsewhere.
Love to read what you are doing, keep fighting and never give up!
Please everybody take care of your neighbours, they
are worth to fight for.
Love from the Netherlands and so much strenght for all of you, I can't inmagen how you all feeling. Im wite, I really can't inmagen, but it most be terrifing now in the usa. I hope that this facist regime is real soon gone. 💙💙💙