We know, this month was one full of rapid response moments around Trump and his administration and the fascism that they are pushing this country towards.

This isn’t all that’s important to our movement, but it’s important that we do what’s necessary when Trump’s policies threaten our community. Trust, we’re not forgetting about Black play and Black joy as well.

National Guard Deployment in D.C

Following his deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, Trump deployed the National Guard in D.C. and took direct control of the city’s police department.

Both Los Angeles and D.C. are cities led by Black women mayors. Both are home to large Black and immigrant communities.

These cities are filled with communities of people who have endured generations of over-policing, mass incarceration, and state violence. Now, our neighborhoods are facing the threat of federal military occupation.

Trump and his far-right supporters do not actually care about crime in our cities. Violent crime is at a 30 year low in D.C. This is a thinly veiled attempt to fill our streets with MORE police and continue to blame Black, Brown, and immigrant communities for non-existent spikes in crime, and Trump has threatened the same playbook in Chicago, Baltimore, and San Francisco and their state leaders are fighting back.

If D.C. were a state, an Attorney General or Governor could take legal action to defend District residents and defy Trump’s tyranny.

Trump wants to bleach the Smithsonian. Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, Trump is demanding an expansive review of the Smithsonian's museum exhibitions, materials, and operations, forcing them to “align” with his version of history.

We know exactly what Trump’s version of "American exceptionalism" is: a fascist fever dream draped in red, white, and lies.

Controlling what parts of history people have access to is textbook dictator behavior.

The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

Since entering office, Trump has done everything in his power to reverse the gains that Black folks won during the Civil Rights Movement — his next target is voting rights.

In a desperate effort to cling to power, Trump successfully pressured states like Texas to redraw congressional district boundaries, insulating Republicans from the backlash that we know is coming in 2026 (that’s on top of him passing an executive order in March to require proof of citizenship to vote).

When Texas Democrats tried to pump the brakes on this scheme by denying the State Legislature quorum, Republicans threatened to send the FBI after them. Seriously… if you’re not concerned by now, you should be.

If the courts, the Department of Justice, and the Texas Legislature aren’t going to stop this blatant scheme, then we need Democrats to fight fire with fire.

That’s why on the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act we asked folks to email their Governor and ask them to consider reciprocal gerrymandering to block the GOP’s lawless power grab.

Alligator Alcatraz

Alligator Alcatraz turned an airfield in the Florida everglades into a concentration camp. This is an unprecedented state-run detention facility that was born out of Trump and his administration’s hatred of immigrants.

People are crammed into literal cages, meals are small and disgusting, the lights are kept on 24/7 so sleep is impossible, people are hungry and opportunities to shower are few and far between. They are completely isolated from loved ones and even lawyers.

This is about more than one facility. It’s about a system built to punish and disappear our people. But Black resistance has never backed down. From the slave patrols to the modern police state, we have fought to dismantle every structure that denies our dignity, and we will keep fighting until the job is done and all oppressed people are free.

One Month Since Trump’s Big Ugly Bill

Trump’s Big Ugly Bill was a dream come true for his far-right and billionaire supporters. But for everyday Americans and especially for Black families, the negative effects of this legislation will ripple for generations to come.

Here’s just SOME of what the Big Ugly Bill has ruined and thrown into chaos since its passing:

Trump Ending Mail-in Ballots

Trump announced a plan to end mail-in voting nationwide on Truth Social. Let’s be clear: this is an attack on our freedom to vote. And on Black, Brown, working-class, and disabled voters who rely on accessible voting to make our voices heard.

Trump wants to reverse our voting rights and rig the rules to keep himself in power. He hopes to divide and distract us so we won’t notice him silencing our voices.

We know how this story goes, unless we stop it. Staying asleep is exactly how wannabe dictators win. Staying fired up, organizing, and funding resistance is how our communities will win.

Trump is betting that people will shrug and let him get away with it. We’re betting on something stronger: the power of our people who refuse to be silenced.

Jacksonville, Florida

The Florida State Attorney’s Office announced that Officer Donald Bowers did not commit a crime when he punched William Anthony McNeil, Jr. in the face during a February traffic stop.

We’ve seen the video. We know what happened. William was sitting calmly with his hands at his side, when Officer Bowers smashed his car window and struck him repeatedly. The attack left William with a concussion, memory loss, a chipped tooth, and stitches in his lips.

They refuse to admit what happened was police brutality. They do not think the trauma and violence committed by Officer Bowers onto William Anthony McNeil, Jr. is worth prosecuting.

That’s the system working exactly as it was built — to protect violent police, not Black lives.

A Black Boys Gym in Georgia

James Jones built something no one else had: one of the only competitive all-Black boys gymnastics academies in the country.

Since 2019, James Jones Gymnastics Academy has been a home for more than 500 kids, most of them young Black boys, to move, learn, grow strong, and find joy. James made the program free for most families, relying on donations and community support to keep it going.

James opened this gym because no one else would. He remembers being a kid, watching other children do flips through the windows of a gym his family couldn’t afford. He built a different story. One rooted in access, in equity, in community.

George Jackson Remembrance with Elaine Brown

We shared some words from former Chairwoman of the Black Panther Party, Elaine Brown, on the legacy of George Jackson on August 21st. “George was the Field Marshal of the Black Panther Party. 10,000 came to his funeral.”

Elaine Brown On Where Do We Go From Here at Netroots Nation

Elaine also shared some words about her powerful panel at Netroots. Read more below:

Earlier this month, I spoke on this theme at the 20th Convention of Netroots Nation in New Orleans. Standing before hundreds of organizers, activists, and everyday people working toward a common goal of creating a humanitarian nation reminded me that our struggle is not isolated. It is bound together across race, borders, generations.

The history of this country has shown us that when oppressed people rise, oppressors will call us dangerous, criminal, even illegal for daring to imagine and trying to build a new and better and egalitarian society. But still we rise. Still we fight. Still we build.

March on Washington Anniversary

On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands gathered in Washington, D.C. to demand jobs, freedom, safety, and dignity. That march was not a moment. It was a mandate.

Sixty-two years later, the same system is trying to silence our votes, police our bodies, criminalize our communities, and strip wealth from Black families. We refuse to accept it.

Together, we are building power that cannot be ignored. We train organizers, resource local chapters, protect protestors, fight in courts and statehouses, and invest in mutual aid and community care.

Our ancestors marched so we could soar. We honor them by organizing, by winning real material change, and by reshaping what this so-called democracy delivers for Black people.

Altadena Back-to-School Celebration

Black Lives Matter was honored to host Space to Shine: School Supply & STEM-Centered Block Party in Altadena. Together, we created a joy-filled back-to-school celebration where young people received the school supplies they needed, explored their creativity through hands-on STEM activities, and danced to live music in community.

Thanks to your continued support of Black Lives Matter, students left with backpacks, notebooks, and the reminder that their Black joy, play, and brilliance matters. Families shared laughter, kids made new friends, and the day was filled with energy, care, and love.

We are so grateful to everyone who came out, volunteered, or spread the word. Hosting gatherings like this affirms our commitment to investing in Black futures and making sure every child has the tools and encouragement to thrive.

Cicley’s Vogue Interview on Trauma Anniversaries

We know far too many Black people are struggling with trauma that goes unaddressed or is criminalized.

Cicley Gay, Black Lives Matter’s Board Chair, was featured in Vogue Magazine talking about how we can respond to trauma anniversaries—the day a person’s traumatic experience occurred—with community.

The 52nd Anniversary of Hip-hop

Black play has ALWAYS included music, and Hip-hop is no exception.

On August 11, 1973, Cindy Campbell hosted a back-to-school party in the Bronx. Her brother, DJ Kool Herc, debuted his “merry-go-round” technique, looping funk breaks to keep the crowd moving. Coke La Rock hyped the room with rhymes, and Hip-hop was born.

Photo of DJ Tony Tone and DJ Kool Herc at the T-Connection in 1979

DJ Tony Tone and DJ Kool Herc at the T-Connection in 1979

52 years later, we honor Hip-hop’s power to inspire Black cultural change. It has shaped music, dance, fashion, politics, and art. For over half a century, it has carried our stories of joy and pain, love and resistance, from our blocks to the world stage.

Thank you for reading and we hope we can continue to count on your support as we continue fighting for Black play, joy, and liberation!

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