You’re listening to 91.9 KVCR. And this is In Focus with Black Voice News, where we focus on stories you may have missed. I’m Esther Gatica.
This week, I would like to begin by highlighting Part 2 of our Black Voice News Series: BlackLash 2025, titled, Black-led Doula Collective Faces Challenges as Trump Targets Diversity Programs, Black Voice News health reporter Breanna Reeves examines the impacts federal actions are expected to have on The Sankofa Birthworker’s Collective of the Inland Empire. This collective is a nonprofit organization that supports Black doulas and birthworkers. The article examines the organization’s ability to continue serving its clients and the pending economic risks it faces due to the Trump administration’s push to demolish diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The organization’s reliance on local government partnerships and state contracts, such as California’s Black Infant Health Program, could be threatened under the administration’s definition of “discriminatory” programs. Despite this, local funders, like the Inland Empire Community Foundation, are reinforcing their support while working to create new resources to help small nonprofits weather these threats. This article, part of the BlackLash 2025 series, was reported through a fellowship supported by the Lilly Endowment and administered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy to expand coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. Black Voice News is solely responsible for all content.
In our next article, Frederick Douglass and America’s Free Speech Crisis, by Black Voice News contributor Kenneth B. Morris. In his 1860 speech, A Plea for Free Speech in Boston, Frederick Douglass argued that suppressing speech is not only an injury to the speaker, but also a double wrong as it robs the audience of their right to hear. In the article, Morris argues that free speech is not just about protecting the speaker's right to say what they want, but also protecting the audience's right to hear, weigh, and decide for themselves. The author warns that when voices are cut off before they ever reach our ears, we are all diminished, and that the defense of free speech is essential to protecting democracy itself. Frederick Douglass called free speech “the dread of tyrants” because it exposes the weakness of unjust power.
In our next feature, Black Voice News Contributor Antonio Ray Harvey reports on California Assembly Bill 62, authored by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. The Bill, which passed in the Assembly and is now awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto, seeks to provide restitution for victims of racially motivated eminent domain and their descendants. The bill defines “racially motivated eminent domain” as the acquisition of private property by a state or local government for public use without just compensation, motivated by the owner’s race or ethnicity. The California Civil Rights Department will review and investigate applications from persons who claim they are the dispossessed owners. Governor Newsom now has until October 12 to either sign or veto the legislation.
And in closing out this segment, I would like to bring your attention to this week’s editorial by Black Voice News executive editor S. E. Williams. In Keeping it Real, President Trump’s Animosity Towards Black Women Sparks Outrage, Williams discusses President Donald Trump’s actions impacting Black women in America. It highlights the fact that Black women are the most educated demographic in the country, yet they face significant economic disadvantages, including high unemployment rates and lower income levels compared to their white counterparts. The author argues that Trump’s policies and actions have disproportionately affected Black women, and that his lack of respect for Black women is evident in his public insults and disparaging comments. Despite these challenges, Williams emphasizes how Black women continue to serve as the moral compass of the country and will play a crucial role in moving the nation forward and away from its current drift toward chaos and uncertainty.
To read these and other BVN stories in their entirety, please visit blackvoicenews.com. This segment and collaboration with KVCR is made possible with support from the Inland Empire Journalism Hub & Fund. Until next time, I’m Esther Gatica with Black Voice News.
