ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE — A recent federal ruling directs the Environmental Protection Agency to resume distributing money to address environmental and health challenges in underserved communities. Since February 2025, the billions made available through the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program have languished as the Trump administration moved to gut a historic number of environmental rules and protections. The EPA programs and rules cut were projected to prevent roughly 30,000 deaths per year, particularly in Black and disadvantaged communities.
BLACK EXCELLENCE — After 18 seasons of a Hall of Fame career, Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA. Westbrook is the NBA's all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209 and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average one for a season in 2017, the year he was voted MVP. Westbrook steps away as fifth all-time in the NBA in assists and 14th in scoring.
Bipartisan Campus Lifeline Act legislation strengthens student mental health and suicide prevention efforts by expanding student-led outreach on college campuses and increasing awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
The sixth iteration of the Stop the Killing tournament was created by Aaliyah Guillory-Nickens, founder of the youth-focused organization More Than A Statistic, pairing basketball with community violence intervention.
Two young Washingtonians won the grand prize of $2,500 after participating in the D.C. Youth Entrepreneurship Program intensive summer program and winning at the Aug. 4 competition at The Gathering Spot D.C.
Many Houston clothing donations travel more than 6,000 miles to Ghana, where millions of discarded garments from America and other Western nations have created one of the world's largest textile waste crises.
The Jets haven't made the playoffs in 15 seasons and the Giants twice since 2011; rookies like Jets edge rusher David Bailey and Giants linebacker Arvell Reese may help turn around their franchises.
The U.S. Senate adjourned for its annual five-week August recess without voting on legislation to regulate college athletics, kicking any possible vote to September.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani held an Aug. 6 town hall at Brooklyn College inviting Black and Brown commuters to discuss how the city and MTA can improve major routes.
Anti-Blackness persists globally through incidents like China's Natasha Doll controversy and European remigration movements; from Europe to Asia, anti-Blackness remains one of the most globally accepted forms of discrimination.
Drumbeat covered this Wednesday; seeking new development for repeat coverage.
Only 32% of Black-owned businesses were fully approved for financing in the last 12 months, compared to 57% of white-owned businesses according to Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Small Business Credit Survey.
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Beloved since 1964, Alfreda's is one of few historical Black businesses to survive rapid Museum District development. Now in a bright, welcoming new space, it serves classic soul food while preserving the neighborhood's African American heritage.
Visit Business →Six-week paid summer intensive for DC youth ages 18–24, offering business development training, mentorship, and real-world work experience. Winners pitch for up to $2,500 to launch or scale ventures through the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program.
Apply →On August 13, 1881, Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga. opened the first African American nursing school; African Americans seeking hospital care, especially in the South, were not admitted into white hospitals and only a limited nursing programs existed, creating the urgent need Spelman answered. Spelman's nursing program has since showcased over ten thousand graduates.