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Renewing Our Constitutional Democracy. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor / On Race in America
The American Constitution has never been a static document. Its history is one of renewal, as successive generations have expanded the meaning of liberty and equality. Today, the nation faces another such moment. Growing economic inequality and instability, and mounting threats to democratic institutions raise fundamental questions about whether our constitutional framework remains equal to the demands of the twenty-first century. This essay argues that the next chapter of American constitutional development should strengthen both the economic foundations of citizenship and the constitutional safeguards that preserve democratic self-government.
Read complete essay. Renewing Our Constitutional Democracy. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor / On Race in America
The Week’s Top Stories
Political / Social
Trump’s economic war on Black America. By Chauncey Devega / Salon
The president says he loves “my African Americans.” His policies tell a different story
Trump’s policies have, both directly and indirectly, increased the unemployment rate for Black Americans, who are approximately 13% of the U.S. population and have long faced disproportionate levels of unemployment and lack of access to employment and high-wage jobs. While the national unemployment rate stands at approximately 4.3%, the Black unemployment rate is almost double. At 7.3%, it is approaching Covid-19 pandemic-era levels. The reality is far bleaker. Because of how the data is collected and analyzed, the true unemployment rate is usually (at least) twice the official unemployment rate. Read more
Related: The hidden architecture: Inside Trump’s plan to reshape the midterms. By Robert Reich / AlterNet
The See-No-Evil Supreme Court. By Adam Serwer / The Atlantic
The majority refuses to see evidence of racism.
The Roberts Court accelerated its assault on the freedoms guaranteed by the Reconstruction amendments this term, leaving only the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship intact—and that by only one vote. Across multiple cases dealing with voting and immigration, a consistent theme has emerged from the Roberts Court’s jurisprudence: a determination to ignore, rationalize, or misrepresent the explicit animus of government officials—and the president in particular—toward the groups that have been targeted. Read more
Related: Far-right appeals court hands Trump a win in his segregation-enabling crusade. Ja’han Jones / MS Now
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Eulogies Clash With His Legacy in Black America. By Phenix S. Halley / The Root
The polite Washington eulogies are already colliding with a much sharper question: How should Black Americans remember a politician whose words whispered inclusion, but whose actions spoke a language of systematic exclusion
The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham at 71 closes one of South Carolina’s longest political careers, prompting a polished autopsy of his legacy. But twenty-four hours after his passing, a sharp divide has opened between Washington’s polite obituaries and the reality on the ground. Across the nation, and especially in his home state, Graham’s complex, often transactional relationship with Black America is being forced into the light. Read more
Can the Black Woman Trump Tapped to Lead the CDC Restore the Agency’s Reputation?
Trump’s CDC nominee has the credentials. Now senators are asking whether she’ll defend science when it conflicts with the administration.
When President Donald Trump announced Dr. Erica Schwartz as his nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the reaction was noticeably different from some of his previous health appointments. Unlike several controversial nominees who drew scrutiny over their qualifications or public health views, Schwartz arrived with a résumé that’s difficult to dismiss, The Root previously reported. A retired U.S. Public Health Service rear admiral, former deputy U.S. surgeon general, physician, lawyer and public health expert, Schwartz spent decades working in military and federal medicine before entering the private sector. Read more
Pete Hegseth Blocks More Women, Black People From Navy Promotions. By Joe Jurado /
As a result of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blatant sexism, this will be the first time in over a decade that no women are promoted to admiral.
Pete Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary has been defined by incompetence and blatant acts of racism and sexism. Considering one of his first moves after being appointed was firing several women and Black people from military leadership, it should come as no surprise that Hegseth has yet again blocked several women and Black Naval officers from receiving promotions. Read more
Democratic Schadenfreude and the Latino Vote. Jack Herrera / The New Yorker
Trump’s once strong approval rating among Latinos has collapsed, but Democrats can’t count on their support.
Reading polling conducted during the past year must’ve been a deeply gratifying experience. As ICE agents laid siege to Minneapolis and gas prices shot up after bombs began falling on Iran, numerous surveys showed Trump hemorrhaging support among Latino voters. A recent NBC News poll found that sixty-four per cent of Latinos disapproved of the job Trump was doing. Read more
Education
The billionaire trying to reinvent Florida schools has a $7.5 million bet on Byron Donalds. By Natasha Yee / Miami New Times
Jeff Yass made his fortune investing. Now he’s investing $7.5 million in Byron Donalds—and Florida’s next phase of school choice.
On a warm March afternoon inside a hotel ballroom in Doral, charter school operators mingled with education entrepreneurs, conservative activists, Republican donors, and parents eager to hear what Florida’s education system might look like after Ron DeSantis.The event was billed as an education roundtable for gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds. But as the discussion unfolded, it became clear that this wasn’t simply another campaign stop. Standing beside Donalds wasn’t a traditional political spouse. It was Erika Donalds, one of the most influential figures in Florida’s school choice movement and a longtime advocate for expanding charter schools, education savings accounts, and market-based education reforms. For nearly two hours, the couple outlined what they described as the next chapter of Florida education. Read more
Children’s books about Black people’s everyday, joyful lives are sometimes banned – but they help all kids explore what it means to be human. By Wintre Foxworth Johnson et.al / The Conversation
Since 2021, there have been nearly 23,000 bans on individual books in libraries and public schools.
Many of these bans remove Black and LGBTQIA+ literature from bookshelves. Approximately 44% of the books banned in 2024 and 2025 featured characters of color and 39% featured characters who identify as LGBTQIA+. Read more
Only 1 Student Enrolled In $3M Anti-‘Woke’ Center At West Virginia University. By Christopher Rhodes / Blavity
A new conservative-focused center at West Virginia University is off to a very, very slow start, with only a single student currently enrolled in classes at the institution. The ideological agenda behind the center and the lack of enrollment have critics complaining about the pricey center being forced upon the university, while conservatives continue to defend the endeavor.
In 2025, Republican legislators mandated the creation of the Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship, allocating $3 million to the center. Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed Dr. Patrick Lee Miller, an expert in Greek philosophy, as the first director of the center. Read more
World
This Is a Forever War in the Making. By Ali Vaez / NYT
The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran halted their war and provided a framework for talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Less than a month after it was signed, it has failed, and a document intended to halt a war has instead become a reason for resuming it.
The immediate dispute concerns who controls the Strait of Hormuz, but more is at stake. The collapse of even this minimal understanding could remove the last barrier between episodic confrontation and a forever war. Read more
American Jews face a Democratic Party rethinking unconditional Israel support. By Yonat Shimron / RNS
A growing number of Democrats, and a growing number of American Jews, no longer want the U.S. to issue Israel a blank check. Palestinians inspect damage to their tents following an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday.
American Jews woke up to a stark new reality Wednesday: Decades of unequivocal support for Israel is no longer a key plank of the Democratic Party. That reality was plain when almost half of Democrats in the House of Representatives (103 out of 212) voted Wednesday (July 15) to cut all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel from a foreign affairs spending bill. The measure failed and only one Republican supported it — Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who sponsored the amendment to the bill. Read more
Rubio launches global effort to target left-wing extremists. Julia JesterDavid Rohde / MS Now
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host delegations from 65 countries Thursday for a summit on what the Trump administration describes as a resurgence of far-left political terrorism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are expected to attend.
“Far-left political terrorism is a real and transnational threat that has existed for decades but is now experiencing a resurgence,” Rubio is expected to say in his opening remarks, according to prepared excerpts obtained by MS NOW. Read more
Cuba Moves Toward Market Socialism Amid the US Assault. By Marc Frank / The Nation
As unprecedented US sanctions push Cuba deeper into crisis, Havana is embracing sweeping market reforms while insisting it is not abandoning socialism.
The Cuban government is implementing a dramatic opening to foreign and domestic capital, private business, the market and the dollar, and has promised to take a machete to its traditionally obstinate bureaucracy, as it grapples with a US fuel blockade and devastating secondary sanctions that threaten to bring economic activity to a standstill. Read more
Ghana slavery apology: Why many descendants say words are not enough. By Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin / Aljazeera
Descendants of enslaved Africans say symbolic apologies cannot repair generations of loss and injustice.
For many descendants of enslaved Africans, a formal apology for the transatlantic slave trade is not justice. As calls for reparations gather momentum, they say acknowledgement without meaningful action cannot undo generations of loss, displacement and exploitation. The debate gained renewed attention after the three-day “Next Steps” conference on slavery and reparatory justice, held in Accra from June 17 to 19, brought together heads of state, policymakers, legal experts, civil society groups and representatives of the African diaspora. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
White evangelicals now regret the deal they made with the devil: report. By Alex Henderson / AlterNet
Although U.S. President Donald Trump continues to suffer from weak approval ratings in poll after poll, one group that, on the whole, still holds him in high regard is white evangelical Christian fundamentalists — who view him as a staunch defender of Christianity.
But Trump’s support among Christians is far from universal, and according to i Paper reporter Daniel Bates, some Christians believe that evangelicals are doing their faith a huge disservice by exalting the president as a prophet. Read more
Amid ICE killings more than 100 clergy from across the US stage protest at Delaney Hall. By Jack Jenkins / The Christian Century
Amid the recent killings of two immigrants by immigration enforcement agents, around 100 religious leaders from across the country staged a protest outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center on Monday afternoon, demanding the closure of the privately run facility over what they say are inhumane conditions.
The protest, chiefly organized by Faith in New Jersey, came after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, were fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents; for about a year, there have been recurring protests outside of Delaney Hall. Read more
National Baptists launch social justice center near US Capitol. By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
Voting rights are being eroded,’ said President Boise Kimber of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. ‘Black political leaders are being decimated by redistricting.’
Months ahead of the midterm elections, leaders of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., a historically Black denomination, have launched a Center for Social Justice steps away from the U.S. Capitol and across the street from the Supreme Court. At an introduction ceremony on Tuesday (July 14), NBCUSA President Boise Kimber cited numerous challenges facing African Americans that he said need to be addressed: “Voting rights are being eroded. Black political leaders are being decimated by redistricting. Black history is being whitewashed and erased. Economic equality is also moving farther out of reach.” Read more
Historical / Cultural
From KKK halls to slave auction sites, communities rethink historic sites. By Russell Contreras and Delano Massey / Axios
A former Ku Klux Klan hall in Texas is becoming an arts center — one of several racist landmarks across the U.S. that communities are trying to turn from symbols of terror into sites of reparation.
Why it matters: Years after the backlash against Confederate monuments, new fights have emerged over what to do with remaining physical reminders of particularly hurtful racism — tear them down, preserve them, reinterpret them or return them to communities harmed by them. Read more
Race Scholar Says Scrutiny of Prize-Winning Book Is Racially Motivated. By Jamaal Abdul-Alim / Eduledger
An award-winning author and race scholar claims the attacks on the sourcing behind her 2022 book about a prominent slaveholding family’s role in abolition are racially motivated, The New York Times reports.
The book in question, titled “The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family,” won the 2023 Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in women’s history and/or feminist theory. However, an American Historical Association web page devoted to previous recipients of the prize no longer lists the book or its author, Kerri K. Greenidge. Read more
Famous Civil Rights Group Push For Reparations in New York. By Phenix S. Halley / The Root
A new report argues Black New Yorkers continue to experience harms from slavery and discriminatory policies, calling for reparations beyond financial compensation.
A new call for reparations for Black Americans is gaining speed in New York. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) are urging state leaders to move quickly on reparations, releasing a report arguing that slavery and decades of discriminatory policies continue to shape racial disparities in wealth, housing, health, education and the criminal justice system. Read more
Sports
Sheldon Candis’ ‘They Fight’ is a declaration for Black boys to dream big. By Marcus Shorter / Andscape
Sheldon Candis set out to make a different type of boxing film. Taking inspiration from The Karate Kid, Rocky, and John Hughes movies, Candis believed there was room for a movie about amateur boxing focused on Black youth, as opposed to the usual fare with adults.
More importantly, he wanted to tell a story about young Black men rooted in hope rather than one that basks in trauma. They Fight, the writer/director’s newest film, is the culmination of that dream. The film, which debuts on Hulu on July 17, is an adaptation of a 2018 documentary of the same name. It follows a Washington, D.C., amateur boxing team led by Walt Manigan. Played by André Holland, Manigan is an ex-con searching for purpose who becomes a reluctant coach, mentor and father figure to a group of young fighters trying to find their own direction. Read more
Paige Bueckers Says The WNBA Needs Black Women Head Coaches. By Monique Judge / Newsone
If you want to know why so many Black women fans of the WNBA consider Paige Bueckers to be our “aggressively light-skinned” little niece, you need look no further than the way she takes every opportunity to use her platform to advocate for Black women.
The Dallas Wings star, who is white, spoke about coaching opportunities for Black women in the WNBA during a post-game interview following the Wings’ matchup against the Chicago Sky. There are currently no Black head coaches in the WNBA, and ESPN reports that Bueckers addressed that in response “to a question about the ‘process’ she hopes to see in terms of hiring Black women to head coaching jobs.” Read more
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rips Caitlin Clark being called the face of the WNBA: “An insult to an awful lot of great players.” By Yagya Bhargava / Basketball Network
Writing on his Substack, Abdul-Jabbar questioned the decision to label Clark as the face of the WNBA.
While the six-time NBA champion had no doubts about her talents, he felt that placing the Indiana Fever star above the rest this early in her career overlooked what many veteran stars have already achieved. Read more
Patriots Coach Blasts the NFL’s Hiring Process Over Alleged Snubs of Black Candidates. By
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