Extreme heat continues to break records across the South and Midwest this summer, disproportionately affecting Black-majority cities. In places like Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama, aging infrastructure, underinvestment, and redlined neighborhoods without green space have made Black residents more vulnerable to power outages, heat-related illness, and housing insecurity. The Biden administration pledged $1B in community resilience grants last year, but environmental justice groups argue it’s a fraction of what’s needed to combat systemic neglect.

Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision to hear a case that could unravel the federal Department of Education, education advocates are warning that Black students and families stand to lose the most. If the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs—who claim the department is unconstitutional—oversight of public education would shift to states, many of which already underfund majority-Black districts. Groups like MomsRising and the National Black Child Development Institute are mobilizing to fight back.

For generations, Black churches have been more than places of worship—they’ve been engines of political mobilization, from the civil rights movement to voter registration drives. But a surprise announcement from the IRS this month could change how that legacy continues.

In a major reversal, the agency signaled that pastors and faith leaders can now endorse political candidates from the pulpit without risking their tax-exempt status, so long as they do so in good faith and without using church funds for campaigns.

On paper, it’s a win for religious freedom. But for many Black faith leaders, the move feels like a double-edged sword.