Featured
The Ghost of Mississippi. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor / On Race in America
The death of a young African American man in Mississippi has once again reminded the nation that history shapes not only our understanding of the past but also our reactions to the present. While the facts surrounding this case remain under investigation, it has revived memories of a state whose legacy of racial terror occupies a unique place in the American conscience. This essay examines why Mississippi continues to evoke those memories and why some histories cast shadows long after the events themselves have passed. Mourners pass Emmitt Till’s casket in Chicago.
Read complete essay. The Ghost of Mississippi. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor / On Race in America
Related: Rev. Al Sharpton Uses Nolan Wells’ Eulogy To Issue A Powerful Demand For Justice. By Newsone
The Week’s Top Stories
Political / Social
Trump’s New Insult Won’t Save Republicans. By Jamelle Bouie / NYT
President Trump knows that he is unpopular.
This is why he has become even more obsessed with election fraud; why he fumed and rambled about the 2020 election for a prime-time audience last week; and why he wants Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that — in his mind — would make it impossible for Democrats to win the midterm elections. This is why both he and his Republican allies are throwing everything they have at Democrats in an attempt to find a message that sticks with the public, a message that could help them hold Congress for another two years. And what Trump and the Republican Party have settled on to spearhead their campaign against the Democratic Party is the threat of communism. Read more
Related: Trump’s Kiss of Death. By Thomas B. Edsall / NYT
Related: Trump’s War on Journalists. By Ruth Marcus / The New Yorker
Trump Gutted Civil Rights Agency, Stifling U.S. Scrutiny of Workplace Bias. Coral Davenport / NYT
A little-known federal office spent decades investigating potential discrimination by government contractors — until it was stopped by the Trump administration.
Federal investigators were working in early 2025 to wrap up a two-year inquiry into claims of pervasive sexual harassment and discrimination at a company that makes weapons, vehicles and cybersecurity tools for the Pentagon. The abrupt and previously unreported demise of the investigation illustrates the far-reaching impact of Mr. Trump’s moves to unravel anti-discrimination policies enacted more than a half-century ago in response to the civil rights movement. Read more
How predominantly Black areas in 6 states have been split up by redistricting. By Rahul Mukherjee / NPR
The mid-decade partisan redistricting battle, which President Trump initiated last year, was supercharged by a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakening the Voting Rights Act.
The redistricting so far has had a particular impact on majority-Black and plurality-Black congressional districts in Republican-led states. In several of the GOP-led states that have redrawn maps — Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina — Black communities are no longer linked together and are instead absorbed into majority-white areas. Read more
Byron Donalds’ Chances of Being Defeated by Democrats in Florida—New Poll. By Andrew Stanton / Newsweek
Republican Representative Byron Donalds leads Democrat David Jolly by 5 points in a new University of North Florida poll of Florida’s governor race.
The new poll found Donalds leading 46 percent to 41 percent among likely voters, with 6 percent of respondents undecided and 5 percent saying they would vote for another candidate. It signals a potentially close race in the Sunshine State despite its rightward drift over the past decade. Read more
Wes Moore explains why he won’t soften message on issues Black Americans face. By Peter Kerich / The Grio
Speaking on “Clock It with Symone & Eugene,” Moore explained why he refuses to “hedge” when conversations turn to race.
Moore argued that conversations about race should be rooted in measurable outcomes, including wealth, education, health care and economic opportunity. He said acknowledging those disparities is not about creating division, but about addressing real challenges with real solutions. The Democratic governor also said leaders should not avoid difficult conversations simply because they may be politically unpopular. Instead, he believes public officials have a responsibility to confront issues backed by evidence. Read more
David Crowley reenters battleground Wisconsin’s Democratic governor primary with Gov. Evers’ backing. By Meg Kinnard / PBS
Two weeks after shuttering his bid for Wisconsin governor, David Crowley reentered the state’s Democratic primary on Saturday, with the Milwaukee County executive boasting a last-minute backing from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers in a seeming move to best position the party for success in November.
Evers had initially declined to endorse in the race, but threw his weight behind Crowley and resuscitated his bid to lead the swing state known for razor-thin election margins, where appealing to moderate and independent voters is crucial. Read more
‘Resilient, But Not Invincible’: New Poll Highlights the Economic Realities and Hope of Black Women. By Phenix S. Hallley / The Root
Partnering with The Root, the NCBCP and Black Women’s Roundtable released the 10th annual “Power of the Sister Vote” poll, detailing Black women’s perspectives on economic security, DEI, and the state of the country.
Black women have long been told that education, hard work, and perseverance are the keys to getting ahead. But a new national survey suggests that even those who check every box still confront familiar barriers—from unequal pay and rising costs to the rollback of DEI programs. Read more
Education
The Research Cuts No One Is Talking About. Katherine Mangan / The Chronicle of Higher Ed.
Minority-serving institutions are quietly being denied funds key to their aspirations. Their leaders don’t want to discuss it.
Last year, eight more Hispanic-serving institutions and one new historically Black institution broke into the ranks of the Carnegie Foundation’s list of top research universities, which Carnegie has been publishing since 1973. Dozens more worked to burnish their credentials, heartened that the door to this prestigious club seemed finally to be opening to them. Now, many of them are struggling to maintain momentum as the Trump administration’s crackdown on anything related to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has put much of the research central to their missions under a bull’s-eye. Read more
American Bar Association’s diversity stance called ‘racist’ at Congressional hearing. By Jamaal Abdul-Alim / Eduledger
Conservative lawmakers blasted the American Bar Association as a partisan organization that promotes “racist DEI” policies during a testy Congressional hearing Wednesday that Democrats dismissed as political theater and patronage to President Trump.
Congressman Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas and chairman of a House Oversight Committee task force that convened the hearing, accused the ABA of “doubling down” on “discriminatory DEI practices” in the wake of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed the use of race-conscious affirmative action in college admission. Read more
HBCU introduces dress code, cell phone and attendance policies. By Steven J. Gaither / HBCU Gameday
Dress code discussions are likely to intensify in HBCU after Tuskegee University announced new campus expectations covering student attire, classroom attendance and cell phone use.
Tuskegee President Dr. Mark A. Brown outlined the changes in a message addressed to parents of incoming students. Brown said the private HBCU is entering what he described as a period of transformation and renewal while expecting its largest new-student enrollment in 32 years. The university’s new dress code requires students to arrive on campus prepared for professional settings. According to Brown’s message, students should wear business suits and appropriate shoes for business meetings and other professional occasions. Read more
World
As the U.S. Commits War Crimes in Iran, Trump Admin Vows to Dismantle Int’l Criminal Court. Amy Goodman / Democracy Now
As the Trump administration carries out its campaign against the International Criminal Court, imposing wide-reaching sanctions on judges, prosecutors and groups who have accused Israel of war crimes in front of the international tribunal, we’re joined by veteran war crimes prosecutor Reed Brody.
Brody says that the U.S. government’s rejection of the ICC’s jurisdiction is not about “American sovereignty,” as the Trump administration claims, but about “impunity,” for both U.S. allies, like Israel, and the U.S. itself. “Marco Rubio knows that bombing Iran without Security Council authorization constitutes aggression under the U.N. Charter,” says Brody. “This is an insurance policy against accountability for crimes that the Trump administration is committing in plain sight.” Read more
From settlements to blocked recovery: Israeli strategy taking shape in Gaza. By Nour Odeh / Aljazeera
Establishing illegal settlements, erasing cities and obstructing aid serve goal of forcing Palestinians out of Gaza, analysts say.
With the ruins of the Gaza Strip lying around him, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz last week renewed his push to set up illegal settlements in the battered territory’s north. “I intend to establish three Nahal outposts, which is also a military entity, in those places that were in northern Gaza,” Katz told Channel 14, referring to bases that combine farming with an armed presence in a bid to consolidate control over a territory. Read more
Haiti Is a War Zone. Why Are We Banishing Our Neighbors There?
The United States is locked in a dangerous, self-defeating paradox in its policy toward Haiti. Last month, the Supreme Court cleared the path for the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for more than 330,000 Haitians who have legally resided, worked and built lives across America.
The administration claims that conditions in Haiti have stabilized enough for their return. For American citizens, though, the State Department has maintained a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Haiti, citing gang violence, kidnappings and widespread instability. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
Inside a Brooklyn church where immigration activism is the gospel. By Fiona Andre / RNS
Good Shepherd’s unapologetic support for immigrants is what made her plant roots in the congregation, she said. The church, led by the Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, who emigrated from Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 2001, has been built around the conviction that supporting and advocating for immigrants is inseparable from the Gospel.
“It’s something truly beautiful,” said Feliz in Spanish. “The priest preaches about love for others, and it’s not just that he preaches it; he actually practices it.” Read more
All About Robert P. Boxie III: The Howard Chaplain is Now the Youngest Catholic Bishop in America.
Former Howard University chaplain Robert P. Boxie III makes history as America’s youngest active Catholic bishop and the first Divine Nine member elevated to the hierarchy.
The consecration of The Most Reverend Robert P. Boxie III on July 7, 2026, marked a historic milestone for both the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the broader American Church. With his deep spiritual commitment and impeccable credentials, Boxie’s elevation to the episcopate was a historic occasion for the global religious community on several fronts. Here’s an introduction to one of the Catholic Church’s newest leaders, and the first member of the Divine Nine to hold his position. Read more
Appeal renews legal fight over Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church pastor. By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
Plaintiffs filed a brief July 9 requesting that the election of the Rev. Kevin R. Johnson as the church’s senior pastor be set aside so a new election can be held, in an attempt to appeal a 2025 court decision.
Johnson’s election as the Harlem church’s new senior pastor was announced in June 2024, and he was installed in September of that year. He succeeded the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, who served as a minister at the historically Black church for 50 years and died in 2022. Read more
Historical / Cultural
WATCH: ‘If you erase it, we will replace it,’ Rep. Mfume says of Black history at Smithsonian museums. By Maria Ramirez Uribe / PBS
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., said Black Americans are “outraged at what is happening now with these efforts to do away with the African American museum and all of the Smithsonian,” during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing Tuesday.
“If you erase it, we will replace it,” Mfume said. “It’s that damn simple.” In his impassioned comments, Mfume quoted former President Abraham Lincoln, and said “history taught us and still teaches us that we can’t keep making the same mistakes.” Read more
A Black Family’s Fight for Their Enslaved Ancestor’s Famous Artwork. Phenix S. Halley / The Root
Exclusive: The historic campaign to reclaim formally enslaved ceramicist David Drake’s pottery asks who should own artwork created.
Known as “Dave the Potter,” Drake was an enslaved Black ceramicist in South Carolina whose handmade vessels carried his name, poetry and quiet defiance through a system designed to erase him. Today, his prized jars sit in museums and private collections across the country–owned, admired and sold by others. Read more
Nikole Hannah-Jones Talks About Her Mission to Put Challenged Books Directly Into the Hands of Children in Iowa. Angela Johnson / The Root
Books by writers of color have been under attack by conservative activists who want to remove their works from libraries and schools around the country. As the Trump administration has rolled out a series of rollbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the book bans are showing no signs of slowing down.
Today, the state of Iowa is second only to Florida, as more than 3,000 titles by writers, including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Angie Thomas, were removed under SF 496, a 2023 state law. The Root spoke exclusively with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, creator of “The 1619 Project” and Iowa native Nikole Hannah-Jones about what she’s doing to ensure students and families in her home state have access to books that tell Black stories. Read more
Let This Be the Final Word on Culture War Feuding. Sharon Waxman / NYT
What a nothing burger the whole “woke” controversy over “The Odyssey” turned out to be.
Many thousands of people lined up to see the movie this past weekend, selling out IMAX screenings — so many people, in fact, that the film made $264 million globally on its opening weekend, an astounding result for a three-hour epic about Bronze Age warriors. Critics have called the film a classic, and the online rabble-rousers, egged on by Elon Musk, who dismissed the film over so-called woke choices — like the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and the transgender actor Elliot Page as the warrior Sinon — have all pretty much shut up, or been shut up by the film’s overwhelming success. Read more
Related: Greeks ready to pick a fight about ‘The Odyssey.’ By Nektaria Stamouli / Politico
Sports
Why many Black Americans were rooting for Argentina to lose the World Cup. By Etan Thomas / The Guardian
Many Black Americans were not cheering Spain’s complicated history. They were rooting against the racism, politics and silence associated with Argentina
When your fanbase repeatedly becomes associated with racist incidents … when videos circulate of Argentinian fans decked out in Argentina team gear hurling racial epithets toward Black people … when the world watched members of Argentina’s national team sing a racist chant targeting France’s Black players after winning Copa América … when American streamer IShowSpeed was verbally assaulted by fans fully dressed in Argentina team gear. Read more
LeBron James announces he will sign with Philadelphia 76ers for record 24th year. By Joe Vardon, Tony Jones, Dan Woike and David Aldridge / NYT
LeBron James has found the next stop in his historic NBA career.
The league’s all-time leading scorer has agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal, he announced Friday on social media, beginning the record 24th season of a career that has already redefined longevity and greatness. Read more
Ted Williams, Satchel Paige and the fight to induct Negro Leaguers into baseball’s Hall of Fame. By Frederic J Frommer / The Guardian
Sixty years ago, the famed Red Sox slugger used his Cooperstown speech to champion Black players who were excluded because of the sport’s color barrier
“I’ve always been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, to have struck out or to hit a tape-measure home run,” Williams said in his 25 July 1966 speech – 60 years ago Saturday. “And I hope that someday the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way could be added as a symbol of the great Negro players that are not here only because they were not given a chance.” Williams’s plea helped build support to admit Negro League players into the Hall five years later, starting with Paige. Today, there are 37 former Negro League players in the Hall. Read more
Marshall Faulk says NFL is no longer the ‘next level’ for HBCU players. By Odafe Oghen / The Grio
The Southern University coach says major college programs are increasingly recruiting talent developed at historically Black schools.
Faulk was not arguing that HBCU athletes can no longer reach professional football. His point was that Football Bowl Subdivision programs now recruit proven players from Football Championship Subdivision schools, creating another step between Black college football and the pros. Read more
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