High gas prices continue to dominate the headlines as the U.S. and Iranian stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz persists. Compounding consumer frustration–especially for Black Americans–is an unemployment rate almost double that of the national average and other ethnic groups.

For Black Americans, the March 2026 unemployment rate was 7.1% while the national average was 4.3%. Earlier in the year, the unemployment rate was even higher, fluctuating between 7.3% in January to 7.7% in February.

During the past few months, the unemployment rate among Black men and women, who are  noncollege graduates, has dropped. But overall, the unemployment rate among Black men is higher in 2026 than it was this time last year.

Black women with college degrees and those who work in public sector jobs have seen professional progress eroded under Trump’s attacks on federal workers and DEI policies.
Despite the impact of Trump’s policies on Black Americans, recent polling shows he has found an opening among a block of voters historically loyal to Democrats. A 2025 Gallup poll found  22% of Black voters approved of Donald Trump’s leadership compared to 13% in 2017 during his first term.   

The U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce recently unveiled its new campus, which was the former BET headquarters, located on more than seven acres in the nation’s capital.

USBC President Ron Busby, said, “When I reflect on the journey of the U.S. Black Chambers over the past 16 years, I see a story of resilience, vision, and progress. This campus is the next chapter of that story — not just a building, but a living symbol of what happens when we claim our space, own our future, and build institutions that outlast us.”

For five years, Busby worked to bring his vision of a permanent home for the “voice of Black Business” to fruition. Relying on his faith and an impressive roster of supporters, he navigated a changing political landscape and uncertainty for businesses, large and small.

“The USBC Innovation Campus is about more than today’s entrepreneurs; it’s about ensuring that generations to come inherit a place where their ideas, voices, and businesses can thrive,” he explained.

Amid the upheaval of today’s economy with its growing list of mass layoffs, increased tariffs and tightened access to capital, Black entrepreneurs are finding renewed hope in efforts to build a community that helps fuel their goals.

History is on their side.

Even during slavery, some free Blacks managed to establish small businesses, and for a very small number of the enslaved, there were limited opportunities to “hire themselves out” for income. After the Civil War and during Reconstruction, there was a sharp rise in Black business ownership as men and women embraced ways to exercise their freedom. Despite the frequent threats and incidents of violence, this commitment to claim their place in spaces that had been off-limits served only to fortify their determination.

The harsh reality of Jim Crow and its relentless discrimination created a demand for more Black businesses. Entrepreneurs provided services to their communities, even though many consumers had very little discretionary income. The “internal” economies that sprang up around the country employed other African Americans and led to Tulsa’s Black Wall Street and insurance companies like North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Madame C.J. Walker also emerged during this era.

“My object in life is not simply to make money for myself or to spend it on myself in dressing or running around in an automobile, but I love to use a part of what I make in trying to help others” she said.

Fast forward more than a century, and the development of a campus devoted exclusively to nurture Black entrepreneurship would have been among Walker’s and the ancestors’  wildest dreams. It certainly has been one of Ron Busby’s, and he would like to see the USBC Innovation Campus play a pivotal role in helping others realize theirs.  

The Texas House reconvened today, but failed to reach a quorum for the second day in a row as the Democrats, who left the state in an orchestrated effort to delay the state’s Republican-led legislature from moving forward with its redistricting map that would create five more GOP congressional seats, show no signs of returning home soon.

One of the Texas lawmakers who fled to New York, state Representative Jolanda Jones said that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is “trying to get soundbites” by threatening to arrest the lawmakers who have left the state.

President Donald Trump says the FBI “might have to” locate the lawmakers. Trump’s statement comes hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state police to locate the lawmakers. However, the civil arrest warrants that have been issued do not extend beyond the state of Texas, and the 50 Democrats involved in the redistricting protest are in predominantly blue states like Illinois and New York.

Jones held back tears as she discussed the decision she and her legislative colleagues have made.

“I can’t imagine living in a time with no voting rights; I can’t imagine living in a time with no civil rights, but that’s where we are,” Jones said. “Yes, it’s hard. I have a granddaughter. I adore her. I miss her, but I’m going to have to be okay with FaceTime because I can’t come back to see her. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the Texas State Troopers will arrest me, and if I’m arrested, I literally can’t fight for democracy, so I’ve got to sacrifice. It is what it is. It makes me sad, but it is what it is.”

Texas State Senator Borris Miles released a statement announcing his support of Jones and the other legislators who broke quorum. 

Miles wrote, “It is a blatant racist power grab. The ramifications of this [mid-decade redistricting] are not just a danger to Texas; they will ripple through this country, threatening the fabric of our entire nation.”

Miles said he and other Texas lawmakers will meet with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey this week at the National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Summit in Boston to discuss ways to “sound the alarm.”

In Illinois – another blue state – the absent Texas lawmakers have received support from Governor JB Pritzker, and the Democratic National Committee Chair, Ken Martin, said they will “fight fire with fire.”

Pritzker added, “We’re going to everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that – ‘cause we know they’re doing the right thing, we know that they’re following the law.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “That’s why the gloves are off, and I say, ‘Bring it on.” Hochul and other political leaders in blue states have begun talking about redistricting drives to form maps favorable to Democratic candidates.