A white Afrikaner detained by ICE expected protection under Trump rhetoric but instead faced the same immigration system as everyone else.
Opinion
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Five Reasons Black/ African People Should Be in Solidarity with Venezuela
As U.S. hybrid warfare intensifies against Venezuela, this analysis outlines five reasons Black and African people should stand in solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution, grounded in shared histories of resistance, Pan-African internationalism, and material support for liberation movements.
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Some predictions for 2026
At the end of each year, we look back and try to make sense of where we’re headed. It’s not easy to connect the dots between what’s happening in boardrooms, what’s trending on social media, what’s changing in our neighborhoods, and what it all means for how we live.
So I spent the last few weeks catching up on trends, talking to people, and asking myself one question: What will 2026 actually look like? Here’s what I see coming.
Breakout year for AI productivity
Companies that invest in AI between 2024 and 2025 will see real productivity gains. Those gains are being invested in expanding AI capabilities, strengthening cybersecurity, and upskilling existing employees.
If your company offers AI training or certification programs in 2026, take them. The people who learn to work with AI tools will be the ones who advance. The people who ignore them will be the ones left behind.
Immigration impacts World Cup
Houston is hosting seven FIFA World Cup matches at NRG Stadium in June and July 2026, and on paper, it should be the economic windfall of the decade. But there’s a problem. Trump’s immigration policies are threatening to turn what should be a celebration into a complicated situation.
The Trump administration’s travel ban affects several countries, including Haiti and Iran, both of which qualified for the tournament. While there are exemptions for athletes and immediate family, regular fans from these countries face restrictions. Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House World Cup Task Force, hasn’t ruled out ICE raids at World Cup venues.
Many of whom have lived here for years are already worried about attending games featuring Mexico or other Latin American teams. When Mexico played in California this summer at the Gold Cup, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had to publicly ask U.S. authorities to leave fans alone. If people are scared to come out and celebrate, it affects businesses that rely on World Cup traffic.
More Blacks move to the South
Houston ranked fourth nationally in Apartment List’s 2025 Best Cities for Black Professionals report, with 21% of local businesses being Black-owned and a median Black income several thousand dollars above the national average. In 2026, expect this trend to accelerate.
What you’ll notice is an increase in new faces at networking events, longer lines at Black-owned brunch spots, and heightened competition for housing. This migration is suitable for our community’s economic growth, but we need to ensure that longtime residents aren’t displaced in the process.
Increase in portfolio resumes
Big companies, especially in tech, health care, and energy sectors, are dropping degree requirements for roles that don’t truly need them. They’re looking for individuals who can demonstrate they possess the necessary skills to perform the job.
This is particularly significant for individuals who possess technical skills, certifications, or real-world experience but lack a four-year degree. Digital skills combined with industry knowledge, like understanding both data analysis and oil and gas, or both coding and health care systems, will be the new gold standard.
Bootcamps, online courses, professional certifications, and apprenticeship programs will be a high priority. If you’ve been putting off that Google Analytics certification or AWS training because you thought you needed a traditional degree, 2026 is your year.
Influencer landscape shifting
After years of influencer saturation and algorithm fatigue, a cultural shift is underway toward prioritizing real-life experiences over digital ones.
You’ll see more dinner parties with phone-free rules, more people meeting up at coffee shops without documenting it for the ‘gram, and more emphasis on actual face-to-face networking. For Black professionals and creatives, this means the networking events that matter, the ones where genuine relationships and business deals happen, will be the ones that aren’t being live-tweeted.
Don’t get it twisted, though. This doesn’t mean abandoning social media for business. It means being more intentional. Quality over quantity. Real connections over viral moments.
As 2026 approaches, emerging shifts in technology, work, migration, and culture are already reshaping everyday life. Here’s what’s coming next.
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Minaj’s sellout exposes out-of-touch Black celebrities
Nicki Minaj’s praise of Donald Trump and JD Vance at Turning Point USA revealed how celebrity access can drift far from the realities facing Black communities. The moment raises urgent questions about power, faith, and accountability.
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The broken health care system we love to hate
Americans despise the health care system until someone tries to change it. Despite higher costs, worse outcomes, and widespread medical debt, political resistance to a single-payer system remains fierce.
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For Black women, ‘combative’ is media’s dog whistle
When Jasmine Crockett announced her Senate run, headlines focused less on her platform and more on labeling her “combative.” That word carries a long history when applied to Black women in power.
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Georgia’s lesson in what Black voter power really means
Black voters in Georgia shifted political power by organizing around Public Service Commission races that directly impact utility costs, proving that local elections can deliver real economic justice.
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Data centers threaten Black communities, how to fight
As corporations race to build massive data centers for AI and cryptocurrency, Black and fenceline communities are disproportionately affected. These centers consume vast energy and water resources while emitting pollution. Boxtown, on the south side of Memphis, is a stark example. Founded by formerly enslaved people, Boxtown has long borne the brunt of industrial pollution, […]
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We need to talk about domestic violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to honor survivors, remember those we have lost, and confront one of the most pervasive and deadly forms of violence in our society. Yet year after year, this month passes with too little outrage and too little action. As a Black man and the CEO of the […]
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Beyond remembrance: A blueprint for protecting Black Trans Lives
Transgender Day of Remembrance has become a ritual of grief, but not enough of a catalyst for change. In this commentary, a Black trans woman calls for a deeper commitment to protecting Black trans lives. She challenges communities to build bridges between Black men and Black trans women, strengthen accountability systems, fund trans led organizations year round, and treat TDOR as the start of action, not the end.
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Calling a woman “piggy:” The real damage a president can do
When the president of the United States publicly calls a woman “piggy” and the White House defends him, the message reaches far beyond politics. Domestic violence research shows that humiliation and verbal degradation are early indicators of abusive patterns. Advocates say this moment demands moral clarity, not excuses, and call on families, educators and community leaders to challenge behavior that normalizes disrespect and harm toward women.
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Immigrants are vital community members
Let’s start acting like it Somewhere between the wrenching ICE raids that tear families from the places they call home and the political battles those raids spark lies a question we have never fully confronted: What does it mean to belong? And what do we owe people who live, work, worship and contribute alongside us […]
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No veteran should go hungry
According to U.S. government data and recent policy studies, nearly 25% of America’s veterans live either below the federal poverty level or paycheck to paycheck, with little margin for unexpected expenses. To get by, many adopt emergency-level budgets. But even the harshest austerity measures may not be enough. Life at the bottom still costs money. […]
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Black votes shift the nation’s moral compass
When we vote, the ground itself shifts. The air feels different the next morning, as if the earth finally released a breath it has been holding since Reconstruction. I’ve seen it happen. Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, was one of those moments when history stopped pretending to be distant. Mississippi turned its head toward justice again. […]
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Why freedom of speech matters
When we think about free speech, we usually think about our right to share our thoughts, ideas and beliefs, as long as we are respectful and not unfairly stopped by the government. Free speech is a basic human right protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. However, this protection is not unlimited. It […]
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Time to pass the Black leadership torch
The Trump administration is ordering the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks in an effort to scrub them of “corrosive ideology.” To describe the truth about our Black experience and history as “corrosive ideology” is not only an insult but highlights the possible long-term damage that this administration can cause. Some of […]
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Black women mayors are democracy’s brightest hopes
Election Night 2025 didn’t just make headlines, it made history. In Detroit, voters shattered a 324-year barrier by electing Mary Sheffield as the city’s first woman and Black woman mayor. Her victory is more than symbolic; it reflects the transformative power of Black women’s leadership and adds to the growing sisterhood of Black women mayors […]
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Black artistry will persevere, as it always has
In September, visitors who walked through Lincoln Center’s new exhibition, “Syncopated Stages: Black Disruptions to the Great White Way,” encountered more than theatrical memorabilia; they witnessed proof of an unbroken artistic resistance spanning two centuries. From the African Grove Theater, founded in 1821 by William Alexander Brown in New York City, to today’s Broadway, Black […]
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Compassion is out, cruelty in
As Americans worry whether they’ll get their next paycheck, keep the lights on, or afford dinner tonight, an internal email dated October 31, 2025, from the halls of the U.S. Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense) lands addressed to “Policy Colleagues,” wishing them a “Happy Halloween” and announcing that the 59-minute early-departure rule […]
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Both Frey and Fateh support privatization of Mpls public housing
Both Mayor Jacob Frey and State Senator Omar Fateh say they disagree on housing, yet their housing platforms are the same. Both oppose preserving and expanding Section 9 public housing. Frey lobbied HUD to approve the privatization and demolition of Section 9 housing through Section 18 and RAD programs, a historic public land grab for […]