Black Friday Briefing – September 7, 2025
Fed’s Lisa Cook Backed Amid Ouster Fight (Sept. 3): Nearly 600 economists signed an open letter supporting Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as President Trump pushes to fire her. They warn that undermining the Fed’s only Black woman policymaker threatens central bank independence and could rattle markets. Cook is suing to stay in her post, which runs until 2038, and refuses to resign. Observers say forcing out Cook would leave the Fed board short-handed just as critical rate decisions loom, potentially raising borrowing costs for Black homeowners and HBCUs.
Texas Takeover Strips Houston’s Election Authority (Sept. 1): A new Texas law abolishing Harris County’s independent election administrator took effect quietly, shifting election control back to officials under state oversight. GOP lawmakers targeted the Houston-area county—home to the largest Black population in Texas—after disputes over voting access. Local leaders call it a power grab that undoes reforms and could invite voter suppression. The change, barely covered outside Texas, means the state can now influence Houston’s election operations heading into municipal races.
Court Releases Video of Police Tasing Death in NJ (Sept. 3): A New Jersey judge ordered the public release of body-cam footage from the fatal police shooting of 68-year-old Deborah Terrell in New Brunswick. The video shows officers repeatedly trying to coax Terrell, who had schizophrenia, out of her apartment before she emerged holding a knife. Police deployed a Taser and pepper spray, then shot her as she advanced. Terrell’s family says officers lacked proper mental health training. After 19 months of delay, the video’s release is bringing renewed scrutiny to the case, which had gained little national attention.
National Guard Used as ‘Workaround’ in LA Immigration Raids (Sept. 2): A federal judge ruled that President Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to assist ICE raids in Los Angeles was illegal, violating the Posse Comitatus Act. The Guard mission, ostensibly for riot control, morphed into immigration enforcement without local consent. It cost taxpayers $120 million and even involved Marines, as quietly revealed in court. The judge blasted the move as creating a “national police force with the president as its chief.” Critics say the Title 32 status of these troops let the administration bypass laws—and fear similar tactics are being used in other cities under the radar.
Trump Admin Quietly Kills Environmental Justice Grants (Sept. 4): In a little-noticed court decision, a judge declined to reinstate $200 million in canceled EPA environmental justice grants that had funded community pollution cleanup. The Trump administration terminated the grants program this year, cutting off 200+ local projects in Black and brown neighborhoods. A coalition of nonprofits and tribes sued, calling the cuts retaliation against “equity” initiatives. But the class-action was dismissed in federal court, a setback that drew scant media coverage. Advocates vow to appeal, warning that vital clean-air and water projects in disadvantaged communities are stalled while legal battles continue.
Black Maternal Health Programs Hit by Funding Cuts (Sept. 5): Community-based programs that dramatically reduced Black maternal deaths are imperiled as federal “equity” grants dry up. In California, a county Black Infant Health initiative that helped cut maternal hypertension by 30% is unsure if it will receive remaining funds. Trump-ordered budget cuts have frozen millions earmarked for Black maternal and infant health in multiple states. Organizers, who quietly began furloughing staff, fear mortality rates will backslide. They note these culturally tailored interventions had bipartisan support until recently, but their erosion has gone largely unnoticed amid louder healthcare debates.
New Grocery Brings Fresh Food to Atlanta ‘Food Desert’ (Sept. 3): City officials in Atlanta opened a subsidized full-service grocery store downtown, filling a void in a predominantly Black neighborhood that lacked fresh food options for years. The two-story Azalea Market, converted from a vacant pharmacy, offers affordable produce and staples within walking distance for 5,000 residents and college students. The public-private project flew under the radar nationally, but locals celebrated the end of their food desert. Mayor Andre Dickens said ensuring access to healthy food was a priority, noting this quiet success could be a model for other urban areas starving for supermarkets.
Hotel Workers Stage Historic Strike in Houston (Sept. 1): On Labor Day, 650 predominantly Black and Latino workers at the Hilton Americas-Houston launched the first hotel strike ever in Texas. Fed up with low pay and huge workloads, housekeepers and cooks walked off the job for nine days, demanding raises and safer staffing levels. The strike – in a right-to-work state with scant union presence – garnered little national press. But it forced management to the table and spotlighted hospitality workers’ struggles in the South. Labor organizers say the bold action, though underreported, proves that even deep-red Texas isn’t immune to the wave of worker unrest.
Federal Cuts Squeeze Budgets at HBCUs (Sept. 5): Deep federal grant cuts are worsening a financial crisis at historically Black colleges. Tennessee State University, for example, lost nearly $18 million in USDA funding this year due to Trump’s budget ax, compounding decades of state underfunding. TSU has frozen hiring and warned that over 170 research and extension jobs could be eliminated. Similar stories are quietly playing out at HBCUs in Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere as federal agencies slash “equity” programs. HBCU leaders are scrambling to fill gaps with private money and stopgap measures, pleading for help while the funding squeeze gets limited attention outside academia.
NYC Opens First-Ever HBCU Early College High School (Sept. 4): New York City launched an innovative public high school in Queens that allows students to earn two years of college credits through an exclusive partnership with Delaware State University, an HBCU. The HBCU Early College Prep High School welcomed its inaugural class with a ribbon-cutting alongside Mayor Eric Adams and DSU’s president. Students – many from underrepresented backgrounds – can graduate high school halfway to a bachelor’s degree at no cost. The program, the first of its kind in the nation, received only modest local coverage. Educators hope it quietly blazes a trail for HBCUs and cities to collaborate in preparing diverse students for college.
HBCU Enrollment Hits 10-Year High After Steady Climb (Sept. 3): Bluefield State University in West Virginia announced its highest fall enrollment in a decade, a milestone for the small public HBCU that struggled in the 2010s. Enrollment is up nearly 10% overall, with first-time freshman numbers jumping over 40% from last year. University leaders credit new STEM programs and a focus on career placement for attracting students of all races to Bluefield State. The achievement got minimal press beyond local alumni circles, but advocates hail it as a sign that investment in HBCUs yields results. Bluefield State plans to build on the momentum to keep enrollment growing – bucking trends at many regional colleges.
Atlanta Black Pride Draws Thousands for Unity and Health (Sept. 1): Atlanta’s Black Pride Weekend celebrated its 25th year with five days of events focused not just on partying but community empowerment. Alongside concerts and the famous Pure Heat Festival in Piedmont Park, organizers hosted health workshops, free HIV testing, voter registration tables, and panels on Black LGBTQ+ history. Black Pride, one of the nation’s largest Pride events by and for LGBTQ people of color, largely flew under the media radar. Leaders say the gathering remains a lifeline – creating safe space, economic opportunities, and political visibility for Black queer Atlantans at a time of cultural backlash.
Orange Blossom Classic Becomes Civic Incubator (Sept. 3): In Miami, the Orange Blossom Classic football game between two HBCUs doubled as a platform for community uplift. Beyond the FAMU vs. Jackson State showdown, organizers hosted a college fair, small business expo, and voter registration drive targeting South Florida’s Black youth. Hundreds of students met HBCU recruiters and registered to vote during the week-long festivities. The classic’s cultural significance – dating back to 1933 – got little national coverage compared to predominantly white bowl games. But locals note that this Black college football tradition continues to galvanize networking, tourism, and civic engagement in Miami’s Black community.
Historic Festival Revitalizes Black Main Street in Kentucky (Sept. 7): Lexington’s Roots & Heritage Festival celebrated its 36th year with a weekend of parades, live music, and global vendors – offering a rare boost to Black small businesses in central Kentucky. Tents lined a corridor of Lexington’s East End, a historically Black area hit hard by disinvestment. Vendors from as far as Ghana and Cameroon reported strong sales of art, clothing, and natural products to festival-goers eager to support Black entrepreneurs. The event, Kentucky’s only African American culture festival, isn’t widely known outside the region. Organizers say its quiet success builds community pride and economic opportunity that lasts long after the stages come down.
Liberian Immigrants Fear Protected Status Will End (Sept. 6): Liberian-American communities are anxiously lobbying Congress as a humanitarian program that shields thousands from deportation is set to expire. Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians, many of whom fled civil wars and have lived in the U.S. for decades, is scheduled to end next month. If not renewed, families in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island could be torn apart. The issue has gotten almost no national coverage. Liberian community leaders are holding town halls and contacting lawmakers in a last-ditch effort to extend DED, warning that quietly letting it lapse would uproot pillars of diaspora neighborhoods and churches across the U.S.
EPA Fines Sewage Plant After Jackson Spill (Sept. 3): Residents in Jackson, Mississippi’s majority-Black south side woke up to foul odors and contaminated water when a major sewer main broke, spewing waste into the Pearl River. State environmental officials issued alerts advising people to avoid contact with the water, but the incident received little outside notice. After local outcry, the EPA hit the city’s treatment plant operator with a modest fine and compliance order. Jackson’s Black community, already battered by a water system collapse last year, says the quiet federal response isn’t enough. They’re demanding infrastructure fixes as raw sewage leaks highlight ongoing neglect of the city’s aging pipes.
Rural Hospitals Still Shuttered Despite Quiet Aid Trickles (Sept. 7): A year after Mississippi officials let the Greenwood hospital close – leaving a majority-Black Delta county with no ER – promised state aid has yet to reopen it. Lawmakers quietly allocated some emergency funds for rural health this summer, but not enough to revive the 50-bed hospital. Meanwhile, pregnant women in the county now must travel over an hour for maternity care, and trauma cases rely on ambulances to distant cities. The slow-motion health crisis gets scant attention beyond local papers. Delta leaders are scrambling for federal grants or a private partner to restore basic services, warning that lives hang in the balance while the facility sits dark.
Arkansas Sued Over Ban on Black Business Programs (Sept. 4): Black contractors in Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new law that bans any race-based consideration in public contracting. The law quietly took effect in July, forcing agencies to halt minority business set-asides and outreach programs. Plaintiffs say the ban violates equal protection and has already cost Black-owned firms millions in opportunities. The case has flown under the radar outside Arkansas. Minority business advocates argue the state’s few Black contractors will be virtually shut out of procurement without remedies, erasing decades of progress that didn’t make headlines to begin with.
Chicago Anti-Violence Efforts Stalled by Funding Freeze (Sept. 1): Community anti-violence programs in Chicago’s South and West Sides are scrambling after the Trump administration quietly froze $158 million in grants for violence prevention. The funds were approved last year to expand youth mentorship, job training, and street outreach in mostly Black neighborhoods plagued by gun violence. Now outreach workers face layoffs and fewer summer programs for at-risk teens. Illinois officials blasted the freeze as “sabotage” of local safety solutions, but it garnered little national coverage. Grassroots groups vow to keep programs running on shoestring budgets, fearing a backslide in Chicago’s declining shooting rates if support evaporates.
Postpartum Medicaid Extended in Mississippi (Sept. 7): Mississippi quietly became the last state to adopt 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage, reversing course on a policy that disproportionately hurt Black mothers. The extension of benefits from two months to a year after birth was approved with minimal fanfare amid pressure from medical and church groups. Mississippi has the nation’s highest Black maternal mortality rate, and advocates have long argued that continuing healthcare through the first year postpartum would save lives. While the move didn’t draw big headlines, Black maternal health organizers celebrated it as a life-saving, if overdue, victory in a state that had been a holdout.
Missing Person: Angela Fuller, 56 (Columbia, South Carolina)
Last Seen: Angela Fuller was last seen on August 29, 2025, near the 3000 block of North Beltline Boulevard in Columbia, SC . She was reported missing by family after they could not reach her later that day .
Description: Fuller is a Black female (dark complexion), about 5’6” tall and 165 pounds, with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes . She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, gray basketball shorts, and black Nike slide sandals .
Agency Contact: The Columbia Police Department has confirmed her case and is actively investigating. Anyone with information on Angela Fuller’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 or Crimestoppers of South Carolina at 1-888-CRIME-SC (1-888-274-6372) . This tip line allows information to be relayed directly to law enforcement.
Cleveland Police Watchdog Gets New Leadership After Bias Suit (Sept. 5): Cleveland officials quietly hired a new director for the city’s Police Commission – its citizen oversight body – after settling a racial discrimination lawsuit by the previous director. Jason Goodrick, a white former official, alleged he was pushed out for complaining about bias and won a $75,000 settlement. The episode got little attention as City Hall moved on. Now Cleveland has appointed Rachelle Smith, a Black attorney and community advocate, to lead the commission. Tasked with monitoring police reforms under a federal consent decree, the commission’s effectiveness will largely depend on Smith’s leadership. Community groups hope her appointment, though low-key, signals a fresh start for holding police accountable.
Wisconsin Trans Inmate Wins Case for Health Care (Sept. 2): In a landmark but low-profile ruling, a federal judge in Wisconsin ordered the state prison system to provide gender-affirming care to a Black transgender woman in custody. The inmate, housed in a men’s facility, had been denied hormone therapy and other treatments for gender dysphoria. The judge found this constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Wisconsin officials quietly indicated they will comply rather than appeal. Advocates for LGBTQ+ prisoners call the outcome a critical precedent, especially for Black trans women who face high risks of abuse and medical neglect behind bars. They note the case received virtually no media coverage despite its civil rights implications.
Louisiana’s Black Communities Still Rebuilding One Year After Storm (Sept. 5): A year after Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana, many Black coastal communities are still struggling in silence. In towns like Dulac and Terrebonne Parish, predominantly Black and Creole residents are living in partially gutted homes and FEMA trailers, with cemeteries still uprooted and mold lingering. Federal recovery funds have been slow to reach these communities, and little media attention remains on their plight. Local mutual aid networks quietly continue to provide hot meals and help with repairs. Community leaders fear that without spotlight or sufficient aid, these historic Black settlements could fade away after the next storm.
North Carolina Restores Voting Rights to 55,000 Citizens (Sept. 4): North Carolina officials quietly began re-enfranchising tens of thousands of residents with past felony convictions after a court settlement went into effect this week. The change means roughly 55,000 people on probation or parole – disproportionately African American – can now register and vote, reversing a Reconstruction-era disenfranchisement law. There was no big announcement or ad campaign, and many affected individuals aren’t aware they’ve regained their rights. Voting advocates are fanning out with flyers and church events to get the word out. They call the development a major expansion of democracy for Black North Carolinians, even if it slipped under the radar.
Maryland Preserves Tubman’s Legacy with New Wildlife Refuge (Sept. 3): Maryland officials designated a new 2,600-acre Harriet Tubman Reserve on the Eastern Shore, quietly honoring the abolitionist’s bicentennial. The state acquired wetlands near Tubman’s childhood birthplace to protect them from development, rather than making a splashy announcement. Black historians in Maryland applauded the move, noting that Tubman led environmental conservation efforts after the Civil War. The new sanctuary cements Tubman’s legacy in a landscape she once traversed to free enslaved people. While largely overlooked in the press, the tribute stands as Maryland’s first conservation area named for an African American woman – a point of pride for local communities.
NJ Targets Teacher Test Bias Affecting Black Educators (Sept. 7): New Jersey’s state education board launched a little-publicized review of racial disparities in teacher licensing exams. Data showed that Black and Latino candidates have far lower pass rates on the certification tests than white counterparts, contributing to a lack of teachers of color. Under pressure from civil rights groups, officials will examine whether testing materials or cutoff scores are unfairly filtering out talented Black educators. The initiative hasn’t made headlines, but aspiring teachers of color are watching closely. Advocates argue that addressing bias in credentialing is key to diversifying the teaching workforce and improving outcomes for students of color.
Florida Reopens Probe of Jim Crow-Era Rape Case (Sept. 1): Florida quietly agreed to revisit evidence in the notorious 1949 Groveland Four case, where four Black men were falsely accused of raping a white woman and brutally persecuted. All were posthumously pardoned a few years ago, but now a state task force will re-examine law enforcement conduct and possibly identify officials who fabricated evidence or tortured suspects. The development got almost no media attention in Florida’s current political climate. Family members of the Groveland Four welcomed the chance for fuller truth and reconciliation, even if justice comes 75 years late. They plan to push for the findings to be taught in Florida schools so the terror of Jim Crow is not forgotten.
Black Newspaper in Tulsa Fights to Stay Alive (Sept. 6): The Oklahoma Eagle, one of America’s oldest Black-owned newspapers, announced it’s on the verge of shutting down print operations after 101 years. Based in Tulsa’s Greenwood community – site of the 1921 race massacre – the Eagle has chronicled Black life and civil rights in Oklahoma since 1922. Now rising costs and waning ad revenue have left it in dire straits, a story largely ignored outside Tulsa. The paper’s publishers are pleading for subscribers and donors to save it from folding. Local historians warn that losing the Eagle would erase a critical voice and archive for Tulsa’s Black community, which mainstream outlets have often overlooked.
Tennessee Anti-Protest Law Triggers Civil Rights Challenge (Sept. 7): Civil rights groups filed a quiet legal challenge to Tennessee’s newly enacted anti-riot law, which ramps up penalties for protest-related offenses. Passed in response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the law makes it a felony to obstruct a roadway and mandates jail time for defacing statues, among other provisions. Activists say it criminalizes peaceful protest and is aimed squarely at Black-led movements. The lawsuit, on behalf of several young Black organizers in Nashville, hasn’t drawn wide attention. They seek to overturn the law as unconstitutional before Tennessee’s next legislative session, arguing it chills free speech and continues the state’s legacy of silencing Black dissent.
Detroit Resumes Water Service for Struggling Residents (Sept. 2): Detroit quietly reconnected water service to over 1,000 households in low-income, majority-Black neighborhoods as part of a new initiative to end mass water shutoffs. The city’s policy of disconnecting water for unpaid bills had drawn outrage after leaving families without basic needs. Officials did not hold a press conference, but community groups confirm that crews have been restoring taps in homes that went dry during the pandemic. While much of the country is unaware, Detroit’s Black activists are hailing the move as a human rights victory years in the making. They are now pushing for legislation to permanently ban water shutoffs for poverty-related debt.
Audit Finds Hidden Bias in Illinois Hiring Exams (Sept. 6): An internal state audit in Illinois discovered that a little-known hiring exam used for certain government jobs was disqualifying minority applicants at much higher rates. The civil service test, required for clerical and technical positions, had not been updated in decades. The audit, presented in a sparsely attended legislative session, revealed that Black and Latino candidates scored on average 15% lower due to culturally skewed questions. State HR officials agreed to suspend the exam and revamp it, a development not publicized beyond the statehouse. Minority employee advocates are cautiously optimistic that scrapping the obscure barrier will open up more good jobs to diverse talent in Illinois.
New Orleans Teens Get Free Transit Passes in Crime Prevention Push (Sept. 5): In an under-the-radar pilot program, New Orleans began providing free public transit passes to 500 teenagers in high-crime areas, aiming to improve youth mobility and access to jobs. City leaders quietly greenlit the idea after studies showed lack of transportation was keeping many Black youth from after-school work and extracurriculars. The year-long pilot wasn’t widely reported, but community groups are spreading word so eligible teens sign up. Advocates say giving young people a way to get around safely can reduce their exposure to street violence and expand opportunities. If successful, the city hopes to fund transit passes for all low-income students – a crime prevention strategy seldom headline-grabbing, but potentially impactful on the ground.
Alabama Debuts Database to Aid Black Land Claims (Sept. 3): Alabama’s archives department quietly rolled out a first-of-its-kind database compiling records of Black land ownership and loss, dating back to Emancipation. The public portal allows families to research property that may have been taken through racist practices like heir’s property laws or government seizure. The initiative came with no press release in a state often reluctant to confront racial history. Black land loss advocates, however, are buzzing about the tool as a step toward restorative justice. They hope families who lost farms and timberland over generations can use the evidence to pursue legal claims or compensation – turning a silent bureaucratic project into a means of reckoning with Alabama’s past land theft.
EPA Crackdown on Concrete Plant Vindicates Black Neighbors (Sept. 1): In Houston’s Trinity Gardens area, a predominantly Black neighborhood, residents quietly scored a win when the EPA fined a concrete batch plant for spewing dust and violating air quality rules. Locals had complained for years about cement powder coating their homes and causing asthma, but state regulators largely ignored them. The federal fine of $150,000 came with an order for better pollution controls but no public meeting or big announcement. While modest, it’s one of the first enforcement actions in Texas under Title VI civil-rights complaints. Neighbors are thankful but note the penalty is pocket change for the company. They continue to push, largely unseen, for the plant to be relocated entirely out of their community.
I'll pass this along - 35 NEWS items - almost none that I had seen anywhere else!
I hope in enlightening a few people - hopefully not the DC bunch of doofuses!
Thank you, X, for these lists so we may repost and share them.
"In a landmark but low-profile ruling, a federal judge in Wisconsin ordered the state prison system to provide gender-affirming care to a Black transgender woman in custody."
This particular story gave me a glimmer of hope. There may be shreds of humanity here and there after all.