Wake Up: Something is Wrong with that Mind (spouse, child, boss, boyfriend)

 

DEI in American Public Schools: What the Dear Colleague Letter Victory Means and How You Can Keep Fighting

Parents, teachers, and students attended a recent Tuesday evening virtual event called Students and Educators Defending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Democracy Forward, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the American Civil Liberties Union co-hosted the gathering.

Five speakers shared their experiences fighting for inclusive education: Derrick Lewis of the NAACP, LaTanya Graves of the Black Hawk County NAACP, Clinton Smith of the National Education Association, Sharif El-Mekki of the Center for Black Educator Development, and Lurita Johnson of AFT-Maryland. Each brought personal stories, hard-won lessons, and practical advice for anyone who wants to protect public education.

If you missed the event and want additional information, email Olivia Han at OHan@aclu.org.

Why the Dear Colleague Letter Victory Counts

In February 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter announcing that the department would treat diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as unlawful and threatened to quickly cut federal funding to schools.

Educators and civil rights groups sued and won. A federal judge found that the directive's narrow characterization of unlawful DEI clashed with the term's common understanding and ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prove the directive was vague, discriminated by viewpoint, and unlawfully imposed new legal obligations on educators and schools. In February 2026, the Department of Education conceded, and the district court issued a final ruling permanently invalidating the directive and barring the government from enforcing, relying on, or reviving it.

A second case reached the same end. A Maryland federal court vacated the letter and the certification requirement in August 2025, and the department dropped its appeal in January 2026, allowing that decision to stand. Sharif El-Mekki, one of Tuesday night's speakers, called the ruling a confirmation of something communities already knew: honoring every student and teaching the truth about history belong at the center of education.

Still, the fight is not over. Schools should remember that other anti-DEI guidance remains in place. New rules on federal funding and tax-exempt status are already in the pipeline, so it’s important to speak up now.

Five Actions You Can Take Right Now

1. Share the explainers. Pass along here and here in your church, PTA group, neighborhood, or group chats. People cannot defend what they do not understand.
2. Post about the win. Share social media graphics about the Dear Colleague Letter victory and what the ruling means for inclusive education in your community.
3. File a public comment. The Student & Educator Toolkit: Protecting Education and Defending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion walks you through how to oppose anti-equity rules targeting federal funding and the tax-exempt status of schools, colleges, and universities.
4. Track the attacks. Register for the LAW tracker from Democracy Forward to get updates on educational equity and attacks on DEI.
5. Talk to your school board. Ask local leaders directly where they stand on diversity programs, culturally responsive curriculum, and support for Black educators.

Stay Connected as the Fight Continues

• Join the LDF community advocates list for regular updates on actions you can take to protect public education.
• Sign up for the ACLU Right to Learn Campaign.
• Visit democracyforward.org/community to find ways to connect with Democracy Forward and other advocates.

Why Every Family Has a Stake in Public Education

Proverbs 31:8 calls on believers to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Children in classrooms across the country need adults willing to do exactly that. Court wins open the door, but everyday people keep it open by staying informed, showing up at school board meetings, and filing comments when rules threaten equity.

Pick one action from the list above and complete it before the week ends. Then share this post with one parent or teacher who needs to hear the news. Small steps, taken together, protect the next generation of learners.

Nicholl McGuire is an author, blog owner, and consultant.

Black Workers Are Still Working, but Are We Losing the Jobs That Built Economic Stability?

When more than 300,000 Black women lose jobs over a period of months, the number deserves attention. After looking beyond that headline, however, I found myself asking a different question. Are Black workers simply moving into other industries, or are we losing some of the jobs that historically provided greater stability, professional mobility, and a stronger path toward the middle class?

President Donald Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025. To establish a reasonable comparison, I looked at Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2024, the last full calendar year before the administration took office, and compared those figures with the 2025 annual averages. I then reviewed the most recent national labor-market data available through August 2026.

The picture is more complicated than saying Black people are simply losing jobs.

In 2024, approximately 20.728 million Black Americans were employed. By the 2025 annual average, the number stood at approximately 20.823 million, an increase of about 95,000 workers. Black women's total employment, however, declined from approximately 10.745 million in 2024 to 10.694 million in 2025.

A total employment number by itself does not tell us whether people are moving forward economically. I am more interested in where Black workers are employed, which areas are expanding, which are contracting, and whether the jobs replacing lost positions provide comparable pay, benefits, security, and opportunity.

Where Black Workers Were Working Before Trump Returned to Office

Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2024 show that Black workers were spread across several major industries. Education and health services employed the largest number, followed by wholesale and retail trade, professional and business services, transportation and utilities, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, public administration, and financial activities.

Black women were especially concentrated in education and health services. In 2024, approximately 4.476 million Black women worked in that sector. Another 1,059,000 worked in wholesale and retail trade, about 945,000 in professional and business services, 875,000 in public administration, 788,000 in financial activities, and 516,000 in manufacturing.

Those figures give us a clearer baseline than simply saying Black workers traditionally held government jobs. They show where Black women were actually working during the calendar year immediately before the Trump administration returned to office.

What Changed in 2025?

By the 2025 annual average, education and health services still employed far more Black women than any other major industry in the BLS table. Employment there increased from about 4.476 million in 2024 to 4.632 million in 2025, an increase of approximately 156,000. Wholesale and retail trade remained nearly unchanged, moving from about 1.059 million to 1.064 million. Professional and business services increased modestly from approximately 945,000 to 957,000.

Several other sectors moved in the opposite direction.

Black women's employment in public administration dropped from approximately 875,000 in 2024 to 734,000 in 2025, a decrease of roughly 141,000. Manufacturing fell from about 516,000 to 469,000. Financial activities declined from approximately 788,000 to 750,000, while the BLS category called “other services” fell from about 466,000 to 408,000.

Public administration clearly stands out in this comparison. The decline was considerably larger than what appears in most of the other major industries listed for Black women.

The federal workforce deserves separate attention because Black Americans have historically been represented there at rates above their share of the broader civilian workforce. Reductions in federal employment therefore have the potential to affect Black households more heavily even when a workforce-reduction policy is not written in explicitly racial terms.

Employment by Occupation Raises Another Question

Industry tells us where people work. Occupation tells us more about what kind of work they are doing.

The occupational figures caught my attention because total Black employment rose slightly between 2024 and 2025, while employment in management, professional, and related occupations declined.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 7.511 million Black Americans worked in management, professional, and related occupations in 2024. In 2025, the number was approximately 7.243 million, a decline of about 268,000.

The broader category includes management, business, financial, and professional positions. Black employment in management occupations alone declined from approximately 1.884 million in 2024 to 1.834 million in 2025. Business and financial operations moved differently, increasing from about 1.071 million to 1.127 million.

Those movements are worth examining rather than forcing all professional employment into one storyline. Some categories grew while others contracted.

Still, a loss of roughly 268,000 Black workers from the broad management and professional category raises a question I believe deserves far more attention:

Are Black workers moving into different jobs, or are some moving from positions associated with greater professional standing and economic security into work offering less of both?

Employment alone cannot answer that.

A person can lose a professional position with retirement benefits, health insurance, and a clear promotion path, then obtain another job and remain counted as employed. The household may still have experienced a significant economic setback.

Public Administration Deserves Particular Attention

The decline in public administration did not occur in isolation from changes in federal policy. The Trump administration entered office on January 20, 2025, and quickly began implementing federal workforce changes intended to reduce staffing, restructure agencies, and alter federal hiring practices.

Black workers were already heavily represented in federal employment before those reductions began. That employment pattern developed over decades as civil-service employment became one route into stable professional work for Black Americans who often encountered more restrictive opportunities in portions of the private labor market.

A reduction in government employment therefore reaches more than individual employees. Salaries support mortgages, rent, retirement contributions, tuition, businesses, churches, and extended families. When hundreds or thousands of professional jobs disappear within a relatively short period, some of the economic effects move beyond the agency where the cuts occurred.

The 2025 industry figures cannot tell us why every person lost a position. They can show us where employment contracted and where it expanded.

I prefer staying with what the numbers actually establish.

What Do the Most Recent 2026 Numbers Show?

The detailed industry tables currently allow a 2024-to-2025 comparison. Comparable annual industry-by-race figures for 2026 are not yet available because 2026 is still underway.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does provide more recent monthly information about the overall labor market.

In August 2026, the national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. The unemployment rate for Black Americans was 6.0 percent, compared with 3.7 percent for White Americans. One year earlier, in August 2025, the Black unemployment rate had been 7.6 percent.

Among Black women age 20 and older, the seasonally adjusted labor-force participation rate was 60.6 percent in August 2026. Approximately 10.264 million were employed, according to the same monthly household survey.

So the most current numbers do not support saying that Black employment has simply continued falling month after month through 2026. The Black unemployment rate was lower in August 2026 than it had been in August 2025.

What remains unresolved is the quality and distribution of the employment people are finding.

That is the part I want to keep watching.

AI Gives Me Another Reason to Pay Attention

The labor market is also changing; at the same time, employers are becoming more comfortable using artificial intelligence to recruit, screen, and evaluate applicants.

I work with AI, so my concern is not based on a belief that artificial intelligence is automatically harmful. I see what the technology can do well.

I also see an opportunity for old problems to become much harder to identify.

Racial discrimination in employment existed long before artificial intelligence. Employers discriminated when applications were paper, résumés arrived through the mail, and interviews occurred without an algorithm anywhere in sight.

Now a hiring decision can pass through applicant-tracking software, automated assessments, ranking systems, résumé scanners, and artificial-intelligence tools before a candidate speaks with anyone.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has warned that federal employment-discrimination laws still apply when employers use AI and automated systems in recruiting, résumé screening, hiring and other employment decisions. The agency has also explained that an apparently neutral employment practice can violate Title VII when it creates an unlawful disparate impact on a racial group.

My concern begins there.

AI could become a great cover for racism when employers, vendors, and regulators fail to examine outcomes closely.

I am presenting that as my concern, not as a conclusion that AI caused the employment losses discussed in this article.

A company does not need to program an algorithm with an openly racist instruction for a system to produce unequal outcomes. Historical hiring data can carry old patterns into a new system. Variables involving geography, education, previous employers, employment gaps and other characteristics may appear race-neutral while still correlating with inequalities that already exist.

Once software becomes part of the decision, responsibility can become much harder to trace.

An applicant may be told that other candidates were a better match. The employer may say its technology ranked the applicants. The vendor may say the employer determined the criteria. Nobody may ever tell the rejected worker which variables lowered the score or prevented the résumé from reaching a human being.

A computerized decision can look objective simply because the discrimination, if it exists, is no longer visible.

For Black workers, that possibility deserves examination because we are entering an employment market where two developments are occurring at once. Some historically significant employment channels are contracting, while more private employers are using technology to determine who gains access to new opportunities.

The combination deserves scrutiny.

Not Every Decline Can Be Blamed on AI or Trump

I do not want to turn correlation into proof.

The BLS statistics do not establish that President Trump caused every decline in Black employment after January 20, 2025. They also do not establish that artificial intelligence caused Black workers to lose professional positions.

Manufacturing changes for many reasons. Financial employment changed for many reasons. Businesses restructure, consumer demand shifts, interest rates change, companies merge, technologies develop, and occupations evolve.

Several Black employment categories grew during 2025, including education and health services. Business and financial operations occupations also increased.

Leaving those facts out would make the argument weaker, not stronger.

I want to know where the losses are occurring, where the gains are occurring, and what separates the two.

I Want Better Questions Asked About Black Employment

The unemployment rate alone will not tell us whether Black workers are advancing.

We need to know what happens after someone loses a federal position, a management job, or another professional role.

Did that person obtain another professional position?

Was the salary comparable?

Did the new employer provide health insurance?

Was there a retirement plan?

Did the person move from permanent employment into contract work?

Did the worker remain in the same field or take whatever position was available?

How long did the transition take?

Did a college-educated worker eventually accept work that did not require the degree?

How many qualified Black applicants are being removed by automated screening systems before a hiring manager ever sees their résumés?

Those questions tell us much more about economic mobility than a headline announcing that another person has been added to the employed column.

A Note About Comparing 2024 and 2025

There is also a technical limitation readers should know about.

Beginning in January 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduced the 2022 Census industry classification system into these statistics. BLS states that the 2025 industry estimates are therefore not strictly comparable with earlier years. In addition, October 2025 household survey data were not collected during the federal government shutdown, so the 2025 annual industry figures are based on 11 months rather than the usual 12.

I am still using the figures because they provide the most direct federal data available for examining Black employment immediately before and after the January 2025 change in administration. Readers should understand the limitation rather than interpret every numerical difference as an exact measurement of policy effects.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I began looking at this story because of reports about Black women losing jobs. What interests me now is larger than one employment statistic and larger than one administration.

I want to know whether Black Americans are losing ground in the kinds of positions that historically helped families establish long-term economic security.

Total Black employment was slightly higher in the 2025 annual average than it had been in 2024, yet Black employment in management, professional, and related occupations declined by roughly 268,000. Black women's employment increased substantially in education and health services, while public administration, manufacturing, and financial activities declined.

Those figures leave me with a question I intend to keep asking:

Are Black workers simply moving into different industries, or are we moving from higher-quality, stable employment into jobs that provide less pay, fewer benefits, less security, and fewer opportunities to build wealth?

If the answer eventually points toward the latter, we need to know why.

We also need to know what role artificial intelligence is playing as more employers use automated tools to decide who receives access to the next generation of jobs.

Being employed and being economically secure have never meant exactly the same thing.

The employment numbers tell us who is working.

The next investigation should tell us whether the work Black Americans are gaining is actually replacing what is being lost.

Sources reviewed: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey annual averages for 2024 and 2025 and August 2026 Employment Situation data; U.S. Office of Personnel Management federal workforce reporting; U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance on race discrimination and automated employment systems; and official White House records establishing the January 20, 2025 beginning of the current Trump administration.

— Nicholl McGuire

Sources and Further Reading

BLS — 2024 employment by industry, race, and sex
https://www.bls.gov/cps/data/aa2024/cpsaat14.htm

BLS — 2025 employment by industry, race, and sex
https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat14.htm

BLS — employment by occupation, class of worker, sex, and race
https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat12.htm

BLS — August 2026 Employment Situation
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.htm

BLS — August 2026 employment status by race, sex, and age
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm

OPM — FY2025 Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program Annual Report
https://www.opm.gov/about-us/reports-publications/agency-reports/fy25-federal-equal-opportunity-recruitment-program-feorp-annual-report.pdf

EEOC — Race and Color Discrimination guidance
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/section-15-race-and-color-discrimination

EEOC — Employment Discrimination and AI for Workers
https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/20240429_Employment%20Discrimination%20and%20AI%20for%20Workers.pdf

Psalm 44 - Plea for Victory - Weary and Defeated

 

Staying Calm and Informed: How We’re Protected Amid Today’s Global Tensions

Hey everyone, so if you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably seen the reports about the recent U.S. and Israeli actions in Iran, including the loss of their supreme leader. It’s completely understandable to feel a little unsettled—international events like this can raise real questions about whether tensions might spill over or inspire someone here at home to act out in harmful ways. We can never be 100% certain that no one is planning or attempting something dangerous, and that uncertainty is part of what makes these moments feel heavy.

The reassuring truth is that our country has strong, professional systems working around the clock to detect and prevent threats before they materialize. Let’s talk through it calmly, pulling from the most credible official sources so you can feel more grounded.

The Current Picture

After the strikes targeting Iranian leadership in late February 2026, there’s been increased attention to the possibility of retaliation—whether state-sponsored, through proxies, or from individuals inspired by the conflict. Some cities have quietly stepped up patrols at key locations, and law enforcement remains on heightened alert.

At the same time, as of today (March 2026), the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) has no active bulletins or alerts in place. The most recent one (from June 2025, related to the broader Iran situation) has long since expired. That doesn’t mean zero risk—nothing is ever zero—but it does mean there is no specific, credible threat currently warranting a nationwide public warning. Agencies continue to monitor closely and would issue clear guidance if the situation changed.

The latest public DHS Homeland Threat Assessment (2025) describes the overall terrorism environment as “high,” driven by a combination of domestic violent extremists, lone actors, and potential foreign-inspired threats. Conflicts abroad, like the current one, are always factored into that picture.

The Safety Net Already in Place

Here’s what helps put things in perspective: Prevention isn’t left to chance.

• Joint Terrorism Task Forces and state/local fusion centers share intelligence in real time across the country, quietly connecting any concerning dots.
• The U.S. Violent Extremism Mobilization Indicators (2025 Edition) from the FBI, DHS, and National Counterterrorism Center provides a clear, evidence-based checklist of observable behaviors that could indicate someone is moving toward violence—things like illegally acquiring weapons, conducting suspicious surveillance, running “dry runs,” or suddenly glorifying attacks online. These indicators are ideology-neutral and apply no matter the motivation.
• Community-focused programs, including the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) grants, support local efforts—mental health partnerships, training, and early intervention—to help stop harmful paths before they escalate. Many houses of worship, schools, and public venues benefit from extra security resources funded through these programs.

The long-running “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign continues to remind us that awareness matters, while stressing that reports should be based on actions and behavior—not appearance, faith, background, or beliefs.

What We Can Do—Practical and Low-Key

The guidance from DHS and the FBI is straightforward and hasn’t changed:

If something genuinely seems off—like repeated unusual photography of a sensitive location, attempts to test security, or open talk of planning violence—trust that instinct and report it.

• Emergency: Call 911.
• Non-urgent tip: Use tips.fbi.gov, contact local law enforcement, or your state fusion center. Anonymous options are always available.

You don’t have to become an expert or stay on high alert every minute. Most people, in every community and of every background, are simply going about their lives peacefully. The tiny minority who might pose a risk are the ones these systems are designed to catch through behavior, intelligence, and prevention.

Closing Thought

We’ve been through tense international periods before, and the quiet, steady work of law enforcement, intelligence professionals, and community partners has kept us safe time after time. Today is no exception.

If the news starts feeling overwhelming, give yourself permission to step away for a bit. Check in with the people around you, enjoy the small good moments, and know that dedicated teams are handling the rest with the best tools and information available.

For the freshest official updates (always the most trustworthy place to look):

• DHS NTAS: dhs.gov/national-terrorism-advisory-system
• “If You See Something, Say Something®”: dhs.gov/see-something-say-something
• FBI tips: tips.fbi.gov
• DHS Homeland Threat Assessment: Search “DHS HTA 2025” on dhs.gov

You’ve got this. We all do—together.

— Nicholl McGuire

The Ugly Truth About Moving to Africa (My Experience) - NO LIMIT EDDIE

 

Finally Black People Have Something Trump Will Hate Because It Never Fails To Beat White Supremacy! The Defiant Lawyers Network

 

The YouTube video titled "Finally Black People Have Something Trump Will Hate Because It Never Fails To Beat White Supremacy!" is from the channel The Defiant Lawyers Network (a father-daughter legal team focused on politics, culture, and legal commentary).

Main themes and key points from the framing and description:

• It highlights Black unity and collective action as something "unbeatable" against white supremacy.
• Emphasizes strategies like economic empowerment — keeping money circulating within Black communities ("buy Black," support Black-owned businesses).
• Calls for involvement of younger generations, preserving Black history/education, and political resistance (voting, community organizing).
• Frames this as something Trump and white supremacist forces "hate" because it consistently succeeds in building strength and defying oppression.

The channel promotes it as part of their weekly content on trending politics and culture, with calls to like, subscribe, and join their community. It includes standard disclaimers that it's opinion/not legal advice.