communities – WUVS 103.7 The Beat

Different needs but similar fears arise in communities on both ends of Missouri’s redistricting

To grasp the effects of the rush to redraw America’s congressional districts before the 2026 elections, consider one historically Black neighborhood in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the small town of Boonville, population 7,800. The 18th and Vine community is known for a museum telling the story of segregated professional baseball in the decades before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Its leaders are talking about expanding the city’s streetcar line to lure more visitors to its cultural and historical […]

November 14, 2025

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Trump’s EPA repeal of climate change rule will result in ‘slow suffocation’ of Black communities

The Trump administration has taken steps to undo a key federal scientific finding that has been used to combat the climate change crisis in the United States for more than 15 years. The move stands to exacerbate the vulnerabilities of a warming planet and pollution, most especially Black and Brown communities, which are disproportionately exposed to environmental harms. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly drafted a proposal to rescind a 2009 rule that has been used to regulate air pollution. […]

July 25, 2025

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FEMA ‘joke’ from chief raises concerns about disaster preparedness in Black communities

When David Richardson, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, commonly known as FEMA, told staffers on Monday that he was unaware that there was a hurricane season, it ignited a wave of concern about the leadership of the U.S.’s disaster agency and its preparedness to administer natural disaster relief. Though a FEMA spokesperson and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Richardson was “joking” at the time of his reported remarks, former FEMA officials who spoke to […]

June 5, 2025 2

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Joy Reid warns Black communities to not be fooled by Trump’s recent pardons

This week, Donald Trump signed 16 pardons, including rapper NBA YoungBoy and reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, and six commutations to reduce the sentences of convicted criminals like Larry Hoover. While Trump’s decision has sparked outrage and discourse on social media, journalist and political analyst Joy Reid encourages constituents not to be fooled by the president’s recent actions. “The Trump regime [or] current administration, whatever you want to call them, is trying to reset and reestablish what criminality means,” […]

May 30, 2025 2

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Trump cuts to federal grants will make Black communities less safe and prosperous, experts warn

Black communities and leaders who are working to keep them safe and prosperous are reeling from a stream of funding cuts issued by the Trump administration in recent days. The cuts, part of President Donald Trump‘s aim to significantly reduce the size and scope of the federal government’s more than $6 trillion spending budget, have included the elimination of billions of dollars in grant funding programs created to reduce community gun violence in Black and Brown communities, and even develop […]

May 5, 2025

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DC faces $1 billion in budget cuts, with Black communities set to bear the heavy burdens if Congress approves deal

Washington, D.C. faces $1.1 billion in budget cuts if the Senate approves a temporary budget proposed by Republicans to keep the government running. The cuts that would result from the CR, or “continuing resolution,” which would keep the government open through Sept. 30, could lead to massive layoffs of teachers, police officers, and EMS service workers over the next six months. Although D.C. already had its 2025 budget approved to the tune of $21.5 billion, and has raised the money […]

March 13, 2025

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Trump’s comments on recession and stock market drop trigger economic worry for Black communities

After President Donald Trump refused to rule out a recession and the U.S. stock market saw its steepest decline this year to date, there are growing concerns about the health of the economy and the disproportionate impact an economic downturn would have on Black households. Despite promising to usher America into its “golden age” and that there would be an economic “boom like no other,” Trump appeared to temper expectations as rising costs continue to give American consumers whiplash, and […]

March 11, 2025

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Trump cuts Environmental Justice Office putting Black communities at greater risk of pollution

The Trump administration is poised to close the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice after more than 100 employees were placed on administrative leave on Thursday. Advocates and former EPA officials say the imminent closure will likely have lasting harmful impacts on Black, brown, and poor communities. According to the New York Times, the agency placed 168 workers from the environmental justice office on administrative leave who report to the EPA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., in compliance with President […]

February 7, 2025

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Trump, Republicans slammed for using New Orleans attack to scapegoat Black, brown and immigrant communities

After Donald Trump falsely claimed the deadly New Orleans terrorist attack on Bourbon Street was committed by an immigrant, critics are slamming the president-elect for scapegoating immigrant communities, particularly Black and brown people, as they also brace for his administration’s tough immigration policy proposals which include mass deportations. “In this moment of terrible pain, president-elect Donald J. Trump has chosen to baselessly blame immigrants for such a heinous attack and for the harm caused by others,” said U.S. Rep. Yvette […]

January 4, 2025