Featured
The Virus of Racism: An American Contagion. By Ronald J. Sheehy, Editor/ On Race in America
This essay argues that anti-Black racism is not simply a relic of history or a matter of isolated prejudice, but a broader social contagion sustained by both racial feelings and institutional structures. More importantly, it contends that racism harms not only its victims, but also those who practice it, defend it. and benefit from it. It is a contagion that weakens democracy, corrodes empathy, distorts religion, and damages the soul of the nation.
Read complete essay: The Virus of Racism: An American Contagion
Related: Australia bans a neo-Nazi network under new law that criminalizes hate groups. By Charlotte Graham-McLay / RNS
The Week’s Top Stories
Political / Social
Trump’s $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Is Worse Than Stealing. By Jonathan Chait / The Atlantic
Among the very first things Donald Trump did upon assuming the powers of the presidency for the second time was commute the sentences of, and grant pardons to, everybody involved in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
The impulse to rewrite the history of January 6, 2021, appears to be the inspiration even for the establishment of a $1.8 billion Treasury Department slush fund for victims of so-called weaponization of government. Trump’s commission is deviously inverting the original and most famous truth-and-reconciliation commission. South Africa established its commission to document the crimes committed under its apartheid regime. Rather than uncovering the truth to facilitate the state’s transformation from authoritarianism into democracy, Trump is doing the reverse, inscribing his lies into the historical record in an effort to undermine democracy. Read more
Keisha Lance Bottoms wins primary election in path to become Georgia’s first Black woman governor. By Garren Keith Gaynor / The Grio
The former mayor of Atlanta avoided a runoff and became only the second African-American woman to win a major party nomination for governor in U.S. history.
“Hello, Georgia! My name is Keisha Lance Bottoms, and I am humbled to be your Democratic nominee for governor of this great state,” Bottoms said to applause at her campaign headquarters as she celebrated the Tuesday night win. “Together with all of you, we have shown what happens when the people of Georgia show up and believe that their votes are our voice and that our voices will never be silenced.” Read more
Trump Just Got The American Bar Association To Kill The Diversity Rule That Built A Generation Of Black Lawyers. By IESHA / Baller Alert
The American Bar Association voted to repeal the diversity rule tied to law school accreditation after pressure from the Trump administration and red state officials.
The lawyers’ guild folded. On Friday, the American Bar Association Council that controls law school accreditation voted to repeal Standard 206, the decades old rule that required every ABA accredited law school to show a real commitment to diversity in recruitment, admissions, and student programming. The rule that quietly forced hundreds of law schools to actually try when it came to recruiting Black, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous, and women students is on its way out the door. Read more
Democracy Is a Racial Entitlement Now. By Adam Serwer / The Atlantic
Last month, the Supreme Court set fire to the remnants of the Voting Rights Act, the law that made America a true democracy. Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power. Members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
You can draw a line through American conservatism beginning with the argument that racism was necessary and proper, to the argument that laws meant to address racism were worse than racism, to the argument that those same laws were so effective that racism was eradicated and thus the laws were no longer necessary. Read more
Related: In the Fight for Voting Rights, Where Are White Democrats? By Charles Coleman Jr. / Daily Beast
Trump’s grip is slipping on Latino voters. By Justin Green / MSN
Latino voters have soured on President Trump after powering his 2024 comeback.
Why it matters: Republicans hoped Trump’s gains represented a realignment, but poll after poll suggests Latino voters are up for grabs in the midterms.
By the numbers: The signs of Republican slippage among Latinos keep popping up.
- 25%: Share of Hispanic adults with a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Trump in an AP/NORC poll from October 2025.
- 78%: Share of Hispanic adults who say Trump’s policies have been harmful to Hispanics (Pew).
- 66%: Trump’s approval rating among Latinos who voted for him, down from 93% at the start of his second term (Pew, May 2026). Read more
Education
The Dismantling of Black Studies. By Jafari Sinclaire Allen / The Nation
Everyone committed to democracy, intellectual freedom, and the rule of law should be alarmed at what is happening—and prepared to act.
Eeryone I know in the US academy—students, staff, faculty, university publishers, and cultural-institution workers—is afraid. But the recent assault on higher education is not evenly distributed. Black studies is where the attack has been the most deliberate, the most structural, and the most revealing of what is at stake. In recent months, university leaders have dismantled departments and deliberately narrowed the pipeline producing the next generation of Black scholars. What is happening is not just a series of isolated bureaucratic decisions; it is a coordinated assault. Read more
I Found a College Where I Came First. By Skylar Mitchell / NYT
It’s the time of year when high school seniors walk across the graduation stage, steps closer to where they will go to college in the fall. Many factors go into deciding where to attend. How far do you want to be from home? How big a school do you want to go to? How much will it cost? And perhaps most important: How welcome will you feel?
Ten years ago, when I was making my own college decision, the education landscape felt less oppressive. It was the tail end of the Obama administration, and though racial dynamics are never not fraught in this country, the public language about embracing identity felt to me, as a high school senior, decidedly hopeful. Still, I chose to attend Spelman, a historically Black college for women. In my sophomore year there — a few months into Donald Trump’s first term — I wrote a guest essay that made the case for choosing a historically Black college. “There is something powerful about attending an institution that was built for you,” I wrote at the time. Read more
Civil war growing among college Republicans over invites to white nationalists: report. By Tom Boggioni / Raw Story
The coalition of college Republicans who helped propel Donald Trump back into office is fracturing as rival campus organizations increasingly invite white nationalist speakers — creating internal conflict that threatens GOP efforts to mobilize young voters in critical midterm races.
According to the New York Times, the schism came into sharper focus when Maryland’s state college Republican group invited white nationalist Jared Taylor to speak at Salisbury University, where he warned that white people face extinction. Read more
Related: MAGA is Reeling as Trump Welcomes Chinese Students to the U.S. By Malcolm Ferguson / TNR
World
Trump Admin Continues ‘White Only’ Immigration Policy By Welcoming 10K More White South Africans. By Zack Linly / Newsone
People who are actually paying attention understand that we are not being hyperbolic when we say the Trump administration is a white supremacist organization. The racism of this regime manifests itself through efforts to weaken Black voting power, purge non-whitewashed Black history into white-and-fragile oblivion, its hostility towards all things diversity, equity and inclusion, and its dedication to protecting white people from systemic discrimination that only exists in their perpetually-aggrieved minds.
Then there’s President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, which is blatantly and explicitly targeted at non-white immigrants, whether they’re documented or not, and far more lenient towards white immigrants of European descent, specifically, white Afrikaners from South Africa, who Trump has been claiming to save from a fictional “white genocide.” Read more
Trump Destroyed USAID. Now People Are Dying. By Reveal / Mother Jones
ProPublica’s Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester examine how America’s foreign aid cuts are threatening the survival of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
But since President Donald Trump returned to office, soft power is out. And so is USAID, which has been slashed and reorganized. The Trump administration is trying to close the agency altogether by September. This has led to some horrific consequences for the people who relied on USAID to get by. Read more
Among Democrats, support for Israel is crumbling – with major implications. Simon Montlake / CSM
A New York Times-Siena poll this week found that just 24% of Democrats support providing additional economic and military aid to Israel, while 68% oppose it (as do 68% of independents). That’s a big shift from a decade ago, when, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center poll, only 26% of Democrats thought the United States was “too supportive” of Israel. Read more
Castro charges fuel debate over military action in Cuba. By Ellen Mitchell and Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill
Charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro are fueling speculation that the Trump administration is creating a pretext for military action against the communist regime.
The charges against Castro and five others come amid renewed tensions between Havana and Washington and just days after a U.S. official, speaking anonymously to Axios, warned of Cuba’s drone fleet posing a risk to U.S. national security. Read more
The Gaza Peace Plan Has Gone Nowhere. By Isaac Chotiner / The New Yorker
More than six months after the U.S.-negotiated ceasefire, Israel still controls more than half the territory in Gaza, and Hamas refuses to disarm.
Seven months ago, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for a ceasefire, largely ending the war in Gaza after two years of Israeli attacks and the deaths of more than seventy thousand Palestinians. The agreement, which was pushed on the Israeli government by the United States, involved a step-by-step process that would eventually lead to the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza. These are still the things that the Trump Administration claims, via its Board of Peace, to want, but the situation remains unsettled, with Israel still striking the parts of Gaza that it does not control, killing more than seven hundred people since the ceasefire began. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
San Diego mosque shooting victims recalled as ‘men of courage.’ By Ulaa Kuziez / RNS
The three American Muslims killed during a shooting Monday (May 18) at a San Diego mosque are being remembered by their imam and faith community as “men of courage, sacrifice and faith” who put themselves on the line to protect others.
The Islamic Center of San Diego identified the victims as Amin Abdullah, describing him as a “gentle” security guard; Nadir Awad, a “dedicated neighbor”; and Mansour Kaziha, a longtime shopkeeper and caretaker of the mosque. Read more
Trump’s Evangelical Allies Gather in DC for Prayer Marathon, Push to Further Erode Church-State Divide. By Sarah Posner / TPM
Speakers cast America as ‘morally rotten’ and sinful while embracing the ‘Christian nationalist’ label.
For nine hours in steamy Washington, D.C. on Sunday, President Donald Trump’s most ardent evangelical supporters gathered on the National Mall for a “historic” event to “rededicate” America to God. The Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving was part of Freedom 250, a series of tacky Christian nationalist semiquincentennial festivities orchestrated by the Trump administration. Read more
Related: Christian nationalists pray for a return to America’s “Christian roots.” By CK Smith / Salon
Pope Leo launches AI commission. By Mari Eccles / Politico
The Vatican said the pontiff was motivated by the increase in usage of AI, “its potential effects on human beings and on humanity as a whole [and] the church’s concern for the dignity of every human being.”
Pope Leo XIV is creating a commission on artificial intelligence, a new Vatican body aimed at coordinating the Catholic Church’s response to AI. The move comes ahead of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, or pastoral letter, which is expected to prioritize an ethics-based approach to AI. Read more
Historical / Cultural
A house divided and indecent. By Kelly Brown Douglas / Christian Century
The question is no longer just whether we can resolve our differences. It’s whether we still recognize one another’s basic humanity.
It was on June 16, 1858, that Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech, during his Senate campaign against Stephen Douglas. Speaking in the shadow of the 1857 Dred Scott decision—which denied Black Americans citizenship and threatened to extend slavery’s reach deep into the North—Lincoln issued a dire warning: The nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” he declared. Read more
Philadelphia will celebrate Ona Judge Day to honor Martha Washington’s enslaved maid who made a daring escape to freedom. By Timothy Welbeck / The Conversation
On the evening of May 21, 1796, Ona Judge made the daring decision to free herself.
Considering the prominence of her owner, the laws of the time and the dangerous trek to New Hampshire, a place where she could discreetly live freely, the act carried remarkable risk. Nevertheless, she slipped out of President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia undetected while the first family dined. The house, then located at the intersection of 6th and Market streets in Philadelphia, served as the first executive mansion. It stood mere feet from Independence Hall, where the nation adopted its lofty language regarding freedom. Read more
Here’s What a Complete Return to Jim Crow Could Look Like. By Phenix S. Halley / The Root
From voting restrictions and economic exclusion to segregated schools, housing and public life, here are signs that Jim Crow can return in 2026.
There are eras in American history that Black folks look back on with horror– eras defined not only by law and policy, but by lived experience, fear, and resistance. Among them, Jim Crow stands as one of the most devastating systems of racial control in America. The Root is taking a closer look at what Jim Crow would look like in 2026… And you may be surprised by how many Black leaders argue that we’re already living in a modern Jim Crow era. Read more
A Family Secret No More. By Susan Saulny / NYT
One fateful decision 100 years ago created parallel lives. How does a family broken by the bizarre rules of racism heal itself after three generations apart?
In sepia-toned photos, George and Edward bear the resemblance of siblings, but they grew to be men a few shades apart in skin tone. George was copper brown; Edward, more of a sandy beige. This slight contrast would make a world of difference as they aged out of the orphanage into the reality of segregation, stunted opportunity and endless humiliation for poor Black people.
The two young men faced a bleak existence together until one day in the early 1920s, when Edward boarded a train to Chicago. Upon arrival, he presented himself as white. Edward eventually married and had children in Chicago — white children — who had children. George, too dark to pass even if he had wanted to, chose to stay behind. He eventually married and had children in New Orleans — Black children — who had children. Read more
Courtney B. Vance on W.E.B. Du Bois’ Unfinished Fight: ‘We Got to Do Our Own Thing.’ By Ny MaGee / Eurweb
*W.E.B. Du Bois said it in 1903: “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Over 120 years later, that line hasn’t moved much.
Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn takes a hard, unflinching look at the man behind that declaration in “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause,” a new two-hour documentary premiering Tuesday, May 19 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS as part of the “American Masters” series. Actor Courtney B. Vance is among those lending his voice to the film – and when he talks about Du Bois, it’s clear he’s not just reading words off a page. Read more
Byron Allen Breaks Silence on Replacing Stephen Colbert — And Why the Date Matters. By Erin Maxwell / TV Insider
On May 22, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen will replace The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on the late-night schedule, and the media mogul has a bit to say on the matter.
The long-running comedy talk show is produced by Allen Media Group and hosted by comedian and media mogul Byron Allen. Originally premiering in 2006, the show features a roundtable format where four comedians and the host share anecdotes, jokes, and observations on pop culture. Allen believes the series can attract a strong audience in CBS’ late-night window. “We’re doing a show with nothing political, racist, sexist, or homophobic… just clean comedy,” said Allen to Variety. Read more
The new Helen of Troy is Black — and that’s upsetting racists. By CK Smith / Salon
The backlash surrounding Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy — and her sister Clytemnestra — in the upcoming epic “The Odyssey” has quickly evolved into another online culture-war battle over race, beauty and representation in Hollywood.
The controversy intensified after Elon Musk amplified social media criticism in quite a few posts and reposts on X, questioning both the casting and whether Nyong’o could plausibly portray Helen, the mythological figure long associated with extraordinary beauty. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh argued on X that “not one person on the planet” views Nyong’o as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” a post Musk replied to with a one-word endorsement: “True.” Read more
Sports
NAACP boycott call: Why pros – not college athletes – should step up. By Ken Makin / Andscape
The NAACP’s call to boycott select Southern college athletic programs in states attacking voting rights has been met with ambivalence.
The iconic activist group’s “Out of Bounds” campaign recalled the spirits of movements past — and not just the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. It also drew on the more recent student-athletes who have demanded social justice reforms and better living conditions. Read more
Is Victor Wembanyama the Most Interesting Person in Sports? By Dave Zirin / The Nation
He’s a contender for the spot not so much for who he is now but because of the person he is clearly becoming.
Apologies for drawing upon a beer commercial for inspiration, but the one about “the most interesting man in the world” who advises us to “stay thirsty” is never far from my mind when watching San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The impossibly tall basketball wunderkind from France is just 22 years old, and no one born in the 2000s—no one whose life is shorter than LeBron James’s entire career—should ever be allowed to be in the running for the “most interesting person” honorific. And yet Wembanyama makes you open to the idea. Read more
Marshall Faulk Says Raheem Morris’ Firing Shows Why Black Coaches Struggle to Land NFL HC Jobs. By Abhishek Sachin Sandikar / Essentially Sports
Despite 70% of players being Black, the NFL has struggled to place people of color in positions of power, such as head coach and general manager. Addressing this issue, Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk spoke about the Atlanta Falcons’ decision to fire Raheem Morris and highlighted how the problem still looms large, especially after the franchise hired Matt Ryan as president despite his lack of prior experience.
“Football’s the only sport that players struggle to come off the field and become a coach,” Faulk said during an interview with USA Today. “They look at us like if you’re successful at the game playing, then you won’t be successful at the game in any other capacity. Matt Ryan can be a GM (president of football in Atlanta, where he oversees the general manager). Why do other players kind of go through and jump through the hoops to be a GM?” Read more
The Real Story Behind Muhammad Ali’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ By
Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is known mostly for the violent war tearing through its eastern region, but the country was once a hotspot of Black unity. We’re going back in time to look at the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the boxing event that shook up the sports world.
This is the story of how Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” transformed Congo into a global stage for Black excellence and unity in 1974. Read more
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