Tuesday, August 26, 2025
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A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Good evening. Learn about the dying promise of transforming career opportunities for Black workers, the fight between a governor and mayor and the housing turnaround that surprised a city. Plus, as always, we’re bringing you the latest updates at url-media.com as events unfold.
Credit: Pexels / Pixabay
The federal war on Black economic progress
The federal government under former President Joe Biden’s administration dropped billions of dollars into manufacturing, clean energy, and tech sectors that could completely transform career opportunities for Black workers — but those opportunities are now under siege. Three massive legislative packages from the previous administration created unprecedented pathways to quality jobs with real financial stability, benefits, and career advancement. Now, a hostile federal government is systematically dismantling the very programs designed to help Black communities access these opportunities.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act weren't just investments — they were lifelines to high-growth industries offering millions of quality jobs, according to research from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Federal funding flowed into semiconductor manufacturing, renewable energy installation, broadband infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing. These weren't minimum-wage positions but careers that could genuinely close racial wealth gaps and build generational economic security.
What made these policies revolutionary was their explicit equity requirements. Companies receiving federal funding had to demonstrate workforce diversity plans, provide wraparound support services, and meet strong labor standards. Programs specifically targeted historically disadvantaged communities and required partnerships with minority-owned businesses. For the first time in decades, federal industrial policy was designed to include rather than exclude Black workers.
The impact was already becoming visible. Cities with large Black populations like Baltimore, Detroit, and Birmingham received millions to build workforce training hubs. Prince George's County got $20 million for clean energy jobs while addressing environmental justice. The funding reached 99 percent of high-poverty counties, creating opportunities in places that had been economically abandoned.
But the current administration has systematically eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across these programs. Funding is being paused, clawed back, or redirected away from Black communities. The very equity components that ensured Black workers could access these opportunities are being stripped away, threatening to recreate the exclusionary patterns of previous federal investments.
Meanwhile, many Black-led organizations that could help workers navigate these shrinking opportunities remain unaware that programs exist to help them. Research shows awareness of industrial policy funding remains dangerously low, and organizations face capacity barriers to engage with increasingly hostile federal agencies. The window of opportunity is closing fast, making immediate action critical for preserving any pathways to economic mobility.
Quote of the Week
"When you start to exploit the history in the state of California for your own gain, it [is] the same tactics used when this land was stolen and murdered people of our culture to get it.” – Assemblymember James C. Ramos, the only Native American serving in the California Assembly, in Native News Online challenging a colleague he thought disingenuously invoked California tribes during a discussion about redistricting.
Source: Pexels / Brett Jordan
Ways to get involved
Retreat or resilience: Responding to global democratic decline - Sept. 16 - Chicago Center on Democracy
Legislative conference - Sept. 24 - 28 - Washington, D.C. - Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Resilience, Resistance, Renewal: Charting a Just Future leadership and policy conference impact weekend - Sept. 19-20 - Washington, D.C. - Council of American-Islamic Relations
Source: The Oklahoma Eagle / Tim LandesEndorsement scandal rocks Minneapolis, Oklahoma feud gets nasty and more
Governor vs. mayor in legal showdown: Tulsa's mayor is in an all-out political war with Oklahoma's governor over a tribal court agreement that's tearing the state apart. Governor Kevin Stitt filed a lawsuit claiming Tulsa created a "sanctuary city" where Native Americans get special treatment, but Mayor Monroe Nichols isn't backing down. He's calling the governor's claims complete lies and accusing him of actually weakening law enforcement by pulling state resources from the city. - The Oklahoma Eagle
Endorsement drama unfolds in Minneapolis: Minnesota's Democratic Party just pulled a shocking move, revoking State Senator Omar Fateh's mayoral endorsement after a chaotic convention plagued by missing votes and technical disasters. The July endorsement process was such a mess that nearly 200 delegate votes vanished, leading to accusations of unfairness from multiple campaigns in this heated Minneapolis mayor's race. - Sahan Journal
The Detroit Housing Authority’s amazing turnaround: Detroit's public housing was a complete disaster when Arthur Jemison took charge last year. Sky-high vacancy rates, failed inspections, burned-out staff, and tenants living in crumbling conditions. But in just one year, this housing authority has pulled off a stunning turnaround that has everyone talking. Vacancies plummeted, buildings passed inspections, and the Section 8 program got back on track. Yet some tenants say they're still waiting for real change in their daily lives. - Outlier Media
A political prisoner breaks his silence about the bloody history of Texas: A Chicano political prisoner exposes the hidden history of Texas as a settler colonial state built on violence against Indigenous peoples, Mexicans, and other communities of color. Writing from 23 years of solitary confinement, the author connects historical resistance movements to today's struggles, revealing how the prison system perpetuates racial oppression while calling for revolutionary change and the liberation of all political prisoners. - Scalawag
Other recommended reading
How Arizona is tackling the affordable housing crisis - Reynolds Center for Business Journalism
Yep — Trump is still the most racist president of the last 100 years - The New Republic
Campaign reform is forcing lawmakers to raise cash in non-election years - Honolulu Civil Beat
How a map of a secret gas pipeline route through South Carolina was revealed at a barbecue joint - The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)
‘We are brothers’: French and Algerian religious leaders call on country to mend diplomatic rift - The National
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