The $20 billion Green Bank program is headed back to court. Designed to help Black communities and others who need support in fighting climate change, it’s been a target of the Trump Administration. wordinblack.com/2026/01/gree...

In our short guide, we spoke to experts and physicians about the top five health care appointments you can make in the new year. wordinblack.com/2025/12/here...

Now that race can't be used as a factor in admissions, the number of white men enrolled in college has dropped significantly. Educator Rann Miller says this is no accident since undereducated white men keep MAGA in power. wordinblack.com/2025/12/dei-...

Health experts and advocates warn that the mental health system makes it “easier to criminalize somebody than to get them help.” wordinblack.com/2025/12/crim...

Our “Best Things to Happen to Black People in 2025” list isn’t just about Black America’s ability to achieve — it’s about our ability to believe. To believe that progress, goodness, and justice are possible no matter who tries to diminish or erase us. wordinblack.com/2025/01/best...

And the good news keeps coming, thank you @wordinblacknews.bsky.social for naming #TheDoubleTax as one of the STANDOUT TITLES OF 2025 for Black-authored books alongside Michelle Obama, Jacqueline Woodson, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. This means everything and more to me. #booksky #blacksky

Thousands of Altadena and Pasadena residents were displaced this year by devastating wildfires. Here’s how you can help make their holidays extra special. wordinblack.com/2025/12/how-...

Hannah V. Sawyerr’s newest work, “Truth Is,” follows a 17-year-old girl who is navigating choice and bodily autonomy. Here's why it's an important read for young Black folks nationwide. wordinblack.com/2025/12/hann...

YouTube is the most popular streaming platform in the world, but it’s not always easy for parents to find engaging, educational content that centers Blackness for their kids. We searched for you and found six Black creators producing edutainment and representation: wordinblack.com/2025/12/scre...

As the Senate’s only ordained minister, Raphael Warnock recently drew attention by invoking spirituality — a rarity for Democrats. America is in the midst of a “spiritual crisis” that threatens to unravel the nation, he said in a speech. wordinblack.com/2025/12/sen-...

Since the 1800s, Black folks have used Christmas to resist racial violence and oppression. Here are some social justice organizations to support this holiday season. wordinblack.com/2025/12/why-...

From Actively Black to Reparations Club, these are the Black-owned businesses Team Word In Black shops, loves, and wants you to know about. If you’re holiday shopping, make it Black-owned with these great finds. #blacksky wordinblack.com/2025/11/if-y...

As attacks on the Biden-era SAVE Plan continue, "the greatest threat to Black educational futures is not a lack of talent or ambition — it’s the United States Supreme Court," Debt Collective’s Braxton Brewington says. wordinblack.com/2025/12/stud...

Faith without screens? As more churches stop streaming worship services, some say the move could make it more difficult for folks to hear the word of God — including parishioners with chronic illnesses. wordinblack.com/2025/12/chur...

We faced racism on campus. This generation faces that — plus lockdown drills and the reality of mass shootings. wordinblack.com/2025/12/mass...

Rod Paige died Tuesday at 92, leaving behind a complicated legacy. As the nation’s first Black secretary of education, Paige set high standards while penalizing schools struggling with structural racism. wordinblack.com/2025/12/comp...

Everyone's talking about the Diddy documentary, but is it enough to end hip-hop's cycle of violence? "As powerful as the doc is, the holes are obvious and glaring," author and theologian Candice Marie Benbow said. wordinblack.com/2025/12/is-b...

After firing hundreds of employees in March, more than 25,000 unresolved civil rights complaints have forced the Education Department to abruptly recall staff. wordinblack.com/2025/12/educ...

As the world’s fourth-largest economy, activist Erin Aubry Kaplan says California can use its holiday spending power to challenge Trump-era racism. "The old adage that the customer is always right still has currency, and in many cases, moral weight." wordinblack.com/2025/12/holi...

Why should we teach environmental justice in schools? Author Kimi Waite says students need to know how pollution and racism collide in their communities — and what they can do about it. wordinblack.com/2025/12/case...

Founded in 2003 and named for Proverbs 27:17, Iron Forums is helping Black entrepreneurs discover the power of blending business with faith and purpose. Read more: wordinblack.com/2025/12/fait...

With COVID-19, flu, and RSV climbing nationwide, here are six recommended immunizations to get before gathering with family this holiday season. wordinblack.com/2025/12/six-...

What does racial healing look like in your community? What still needs to change? We’re listening. Take our racial healing survey to share your thoughts. Click here: www.Pollmonkey.com/r/85ZXHXR

Environmental organizations aren’t serious about justice if they keep excluding those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, @mustafasantiagoali.bsky.social says. "The movement needs Black leaders. It needs Latino leaders. It needs Indigenous leaders." wordinblack.com/2025/12/whit...

Brandon Jerrod is waiting on a heart transplant. They joined WIB’s “On Borrowed Time: A Conversation on Organ Donation and Black Health” to shed light on the realities of the transplant process — including how bias impacts care. Watch more: youtu.be/UMa_2BNjuAs?...

“A heart transplant is more than a million dollars, and if you don’t have health insurance, you won’t even have the opportunity to get on the list,” WIB’s Anissa Durham says. Watch more from our “On Borrowed Time” event here: youtu.be/UMa_2BNjuAs?...

Trump knows that he can’t dismantle the Education Department without the “thumbs-up” from Congress, according to a new lawsuit from New York school districts and organizations. wordinblack.com/2025/12/educ...

There is so much negative news about Black students in schools. Yet, Black public schoolchildren are achieving, even in a system that seems disinterested in their success. WIB’s Alvin Buyinza highlights 5 positive developments for Black kids in education. wordinblack.com/2025/11/5-go...

WIB’s Insights and Research director, Dr. Christa Mahlobo, conducted a survey on organ donation and was surprised at the results: more Black Americans are willing to become donors, but they need health care professionals to educate them on the process. Watch more: youtu.be/UMa_2BNjuAs?...

Such an important resource. Thank you @wordinblacknews.bsky.social for highlighting programs that offer financial and #mentalhealth support for Black people needing an #organtransplant. Check out their article, "On Borrowed Time" for more info. Please share! #Health #BlackHealth #BlackSky

Alexandria Brown didn’t plan on being a math teacher. Eleven years later, here’s what she knows about helping Black students excel. wordinblack.com/2025/12/less...

Your doctor just told you that you need an organ transplant — now what? During our “On Borrowed Time” live event, kidney transplant recipient Craig Merritt shares steps to help you care for yourself through the organ transplant process. Watch more: youtu.be/UMa_2BNjuAs?...

“They just want you to die,” Faithful V says. “Between the government, insurers, and health care providers, everyone’s just pointing the finger at each other.” "Medicaid denials have been routine for him long before OBBBA became law."

Anissa Durham says her reporting showed her "Access to care is awful in this country." It's so expensive to get an organ. A heart transplant is $1M+ and if you don't have health insurance, you can't even get on the transplant list. Read the whole series here: wordinblack.com/on-borrowed-...

Health data reporter Anissa Durham: "Don't be afraid to say no and fire doctors." And if you need resources, Durham created an easy-to-understand guide: Need an Organ Transplant? These 7 Resources Can Help wordinblack.com/2025/10/orga...

"Shout out to the Black Southern woman who raised me — who raised me to know if you don't allow shame to control you, then they can't shame and control you because of your identities," says Brandon Jerrod, who needs a heart. Read more about his story: wordinblack.com/2025/09/the-...

"We gotta understand, Black people, we have rights as patients." — Kidney transplant recipient and organ donation advocate Craig Merritt. Read more about Craig's story here: wordinblack.com/2025/10/is-t...

Dr. Christa Mahlobo says survey respondents said they would be more likely to become an organ donor if they 1) had a friend or family member who needed an organ and 2) if they saw more Black folks talking about it. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Jerrod says his heart failure isn't his fault. Doc told him, It's not because you're fat/Black. "It's a genetic marker on my heart." That helped dispel the shame. "I'm fat because of fluid," he says. He lost 200lbs of fluid in 1 month. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

"I want to live," says Brandon Jarrod, who needs a heart transplant. He's disabled, and he can't even work a retail job. "It's like, one, I just died." He needs comprehensive insurance — all of his meds aren't covered by what he has now. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

"I am Black. I am also fat. I am also dark-skinned. I am also really feminine. It really paints a different experience. I am quite literally everything that's wrong," says Brandon Jerrod, who needs a heart transplant. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Houston resident Brandon Jerrod needs a heart. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2024. He kept gaining weight. "I kept going to doctors & they were like, oh whatever" They dismissed his concerns. He developed severe edema & lost ability to walk. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Kidney recipient Craig Merritt says the racially biased calculation basically said that Black people weren't as sick. "It's stating that Black people's kidney functions are doing better than white people so you don't need dialysis... or a transplant right now." Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Kidney recipient Craig Merritt says a policy change that eliminated a calculation that discriminated against Black folks moved him up the transplant list. Read more about that racially biased calculation here: wordinblack.com/2025/10/is-t...

Kidney recipient Craig Merritt: "I despise dialysis. I hate it for anyone who has to go on dialysis." A social worker said he should improve his chances of getting a kidney by being evaluated by multiple facilities. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Kidney recipient Craig Merritt was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure & stayed there for 18 years. "I was very fortunate, and I do understand that there are individuals who are not so fortunate as I was," he says. "My end-stage didn't come until 2018." Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Kidney recipient and organ donation advocate Craig Merritt says he found he had kidney failure after getting over a cold and going to the doctor. They noticed his blood pressure was high. He was 29. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Dr. Christa Mahlobo says Word In Black's survey found that most respondents experience racism in medical spaces (hospitals/doctors' offices) BUT the Black community is overall willing to become a donor IF their questions are answered about the process. Tune in here: bit.ly/WIBOnBorrowedTime

Durham says in her story "The Cruelest Kind of Heartbreak," she details how the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill will result in cuts to Medicaid, and if you don't have health insurance, you can't get an organ. wordinblack.com/2025/09/the-...

Health data reporter Anissa Durham says a misconception about organ donation is that most people are eligible to be a donor – people think "if you're going to die, they're going to snatch your organs and that's just not true."