THE DAILY DRUMBEAT

News about us. For us. By the beat of the drum.

Vol. 1, No. 1  ·  Monday, July 13, 2026  ·  31 stories · 10 sections

•	Johnson Products founder George E. Johnson Sr., creator of Afro Sheen and first Black-owned NYSE-listed firm, dies at 99. ABC7 Chicago Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Actor Mike Colter expands Niles + Chaz children's haircare line to new retailers nationwide. Black Enterprise Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Rep. Nikema Williams shares fears and uncertainty with Black women entrepreneurs at Atlanta small-business event. UATL Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

The President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities had its charter renewed for two years, through April 2028, per a Federal Register notice — a rare bright spot amid broader federal retrenchment on diversity policy. It comes as the DOJ pressures all 50 states over voter-roll compliance and the ABA weighs further law-school diversity rollbacks, underscoring a mixed federal posture toward Black institutions and communities this month. Federal Register, Votebeat

•	DOJ sends letters to all 50 states and D.C. warning of criminal prosecution over noncitizen voter-roll compliance. Votebeat Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	ABA considers further rollbacks to law school diversity accreditation rules amid ongoing DEI pressure. Reuters Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Federal judge blocks Trump administration's anti-DEI funding conditions on California and Oregon grant recipients. Ground News Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	June nonfarm payrolls rose by just 57,000 as unemployment held at 4.2%, signaling a cooling labor market. Aston Carter Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	States may soon owe millions of dollars in SNAP costs as new federal cost-sharing rules take effect. MPR News Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Return-to-office mandates now cost workers an average of $55 per day in commuting and related expenses. Black Enterprise Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

S&P 500 7,515.90

Dow 52,498.64

Bitcoin $62,265

Ethereum $1,775.90

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Federal student loan rules changed July 1 as the SAVE repayment plan wound down; borrowers enrolling in autopay now get a net 0.75% interest-rate reduction. Meanwhile, 30-year mortgage rates ticked up to 6.49% and average credit card APRs eased slightly to 19.57%, still historically high. LA Times, Bankrate Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	USPTO selects Georgia and Alabama HBCU and minority-serving innovation ecosystems for Southeast community office expansion. Spelman College Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	UNCF's Institute for Capacity Building launches new HBCU Work-Integrated Learning Accelerator program. GlobeNewswire Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Grambling State receives $24 million from Louisiana legislature, including $6 million for a new indoor athletic facility. The News Tribune Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Sens. Ossoff and Warnock secure $556,000 in federal funds for Morehouse College campus safety upgrades. CBS News Atlanta Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	UNCF's UNITE 2026 summit, the nation's largest HBCU leadership gathering, convenes in Atlanta July 19-23. GlobeNewswire Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

American League beat National League 6-1 in the 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic; Southern University's Jacoby Radcliffe named MVP. MLB.com Inaugural Black College Football Poll released: South Carolina State ranked No. 1, Jackson State No. 3 heading into fall. MEAC Sports Alabama State QB Andrew Body named SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year; nine Hornets earn All-SWAC honors. Alabama State Athletics Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk named new head coach at Southern University as SWAC releases 2026 predicted order of finish. SI.com/HBCU Legends Texas Southern unveils $1.7 billion campus master plan featuring a new 10,000-seat stadium. HBCU Gameday North Carolina A&T football sets a new season-ticket record with more than 6,000 sold. HBCU Gameday

•	MLB All-Star Week continues in Philadelphia: Monday's Home Run Derby airs on Netflix, with Tuesday's All-Star Game on Fox. CBS News Philadelphia Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	NBA free agency moves became official July 10, headlined by LaMelo Ball to Minnesota and a four-team trade sending Nic Claxton to Chicago. Hoops Rumors Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, crosses $1 billion worldwide — the first biopic ever to do so, passing Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer. Variety Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Jay-Z closes his Yankee Stadium residency with surprise appearances from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem and Nas. Rolling Stone Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	Black Tech Week names Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun keynote speaker for its July 14-16 Cincinnati summit. Yahoo Finance Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	National Minority Quality Forum calls for AI policy that prioritizes communities with the greatest burden of disease, citing persistent algorithmic health gaps. GlobeNewswire Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	More than 80% of U.S. maternal deaths are preventable, yet Black women still die from pregnancy-related causes at three times the rate of white women. Forbes Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

•	National Park Service opens $24 million in African American Civil Rights grants and $11 million in HBCU preservation grants. Preservation Directory Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Wilberforce University Historic District, home to the nation's first HBCU, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. UNCF Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link
•	Black land ownership peaked at 16 million acres in 1910 but fell 90% by 1997, with heirs' property remaining the leading cause of involuntary Black land loss today. Progress.org Share: X · Facebook · LinkedIn · Copy link

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