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Civil Rights Icon Joseph McNeil of A&T Four Dies at 83

Joseph McNeil, one of four North Carolina college students whose occupation of a racially segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter 65 years ago helped spark nonviolent civil rights sit-in protests across the South, died Thursday, his university said. He was 83. McNeil, who later became a two-star general, was one of four freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro who sat down at the local “whites only” counter on Feb. 1, 1960. The young Black men were refused service and declined to give up their seats even as the store manager and police urged them to move on. Statements from

NYC Opens First HBCU Early College Prep High School

By Tessa Langston Mayor Eric Adams and Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos kicked off the new school year by ushering in over a million New York City public school students, and by marking the occasion with a bit of ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the first historically Black college and university (HBCU) Early College Prep High School in Queens, as reported by NYC’s Mayoral Office. They weren’t shy about highlighting the transformative educational initiatives that the Adams administration has pushed, with public schools across the city set to benefit from expanded programs and new tech policies. “We are ringing in the school year with more

ICE Launches “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago Crackdown

By Phil Helsel Immigration and Customs Enforcement is launching an operation in Chicago targeting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday — a decision long rumored and opposed by local officials. DHS said the ICE effort is called “Operation Midway Blitz” and blamed so-called sanctuary policies in Chicago and Illinois. The DHS announcement didn’t mention using the National Guard, which President Donald Trump has publicly talked about. Trump has been talking for weeks about possibly ordering federal authorities to Chicago, an effort he has said is intended to fight crime. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and

Protests Erupt in Chicago Ahead of Planned ICE Operations

By Christian Piekos Protesters demonstrated across the Chicago area Friday ahead of an expected surge in ICE operations this weekend. Crews have put up fencing around Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago. The expected increase in immigration enforcement could come as soon as Saturday. Naval Station Great Lakes will serve as the logistical hub for some 300 federal agents each day carrying out operations in Chicago. ABC7 saw no sign of ramped up activity Friday night at the Broadview ICE facility that’s expected to be used as a processing center, but that could soon change Saturday. With the Trump administration

Nearly 60% of HBCUs Risk Losing Federal Student Aid

When too many former students default on their student loans, the Department of Education can remove a school’s access to federal financial aid. Almost 60 percent of HBCUs could lose access, compared to less than 20 percent of non-HBCUs, if current rates of borrowers being behind on loans translate into similarly high default rates. Higher percentages of HBCU students rely on federal financial aid to help fund their education than students at non-HBCUs. Losing federal financial aid could devastate institutions that move Black Americans from low-income to middle class, but advocates say supporters can take action to help protect HBCUs.

PBS Cuts Nearly 100 Jobs After Congress Pulls Funding

By Phil Helsel and Madison Lambert PBS has eliminated almost 100 staff positions over the last several months because of a loss of federal funding, it said Thursday. The job cuts include 34 staff members who were notified Thursday that they were losing their jobs, a spokesperson for PBS said. The Republican-controlled Congress cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for PBS and NPR in July. “In this unprecedented moment we remain focused on what matters most: ensuring our member stations can deliver quality content and services to communities across America,” the spokesperson said. The New York Times first reported the eliminated positions. The July rescissions package cut $9

Civil Rights Icon Maj. Gen. Joseph McNeil Dies at 83

Courtesy of North Carolina A&T University Major General Joseph McNeil, one of the four North Carolina A&T State University freshmen who helped launch the sit-in movement that transformed the civil rights struggle, has died. He was 83. North Carolina A&T confirmed McNeil’s death on Thursday, September 4. The HBCU praised him as both a courageous activist and a decorated serviceman. “McNeil’s bravery and determination sparked the civil rights movement across the United States,” the school said in a statement. “His military service and achievements as a major general in the Air Force Reserve Command show his dedication to service and country.”

Trump Revives “Department of War” in New Executive Order

By Jason Breslow President Trump will sign an executive order on Friday to give the Department of Defense a new name: the Department of War. The change would return the department to a name that it carried for much of its history, until it became the Department of Defense in the wake of World War II. The executive order was confirmed to NPR by a White House official who was not authorized to discuss the matter. A White House fact sheet explains that under the executive order, the name “Department of War” will serve as a “secondary title” for the

Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore $2.2B Harvard Grants

By Gary Grumbach and Marlene Lenthang A federal judge in Boston ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to unfreeze nearly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard. “All freezes and terminations of funding to Harvard made pursuant to the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters on or after April 14, 2025 are vacated and set aside,” U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs said in the order. The 84-page order conceded that Harvard has been “plagued by antisemitism” in recent years and should “have done a better job of dealing with the issue,” but it said that “there is, in reality, little connection between the

Coppin State Gave Katrina-Displaced Dillard Students a Home

Katrina ravaged the campus of Dillard University, an HBCU located in New Orleans. Coppin State University, a Baltimore HBCU, offered to allow displaced Dillard students a new academic home at reduced tuition. Four students took advantage, and a few decided to stay in Baltimore after graduation. In the Christmas 2006 episode of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” — a one-season wonder depicting behind-the-scenes life on a Saturday Night Live-style comedy show — the fictional show’s house band deliberately called in sick so that a group of New Orleans musicians fleeing Hurricane Katrina could fill in, collect their salaries and

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