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National Urban League Declares’ State of Emergency’ for Black America in 2025 Report

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The report also warns of a rise in digital extremism. “During the 2024 election cycle, accounts supporting progressive candidates also saw their accounts blocked and shadow-banned without explanation,” the report documented.

Published

10 months ago

July 17, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

In its most urgent warning to date, the National Urban League has declared a “state of emergency” for democracy and civil rights in the United States. The organization’s 49th annual State of Black America report, unveiled at its conference in Cleveland, Ohio, outlines what it describes as a deliberate, coordinated campaign to reverse decades of progress for Black Americans. “A democracy willing to destroy itself rather than deliver justice is a democracy in crisis,” the report states. “The work is difficult. The road is long,” National Urban League President Marc H. Morial added. “But we know from experience that the arc of history does not bend toward justice on its own—it must be bent by those with the strength and will to see it through.”

This year’s report, titled “State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack,” sounds the alarm over efforts to dismantle civil rights protections, suppress voting access, and strip away diversity initiatives. “The notion that we are living through a ‘state of emergency’ is not rhetorical flourish. It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles—equality, liberty, and justice—rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation and deliver equitable opportunity to all,” Morial wrote in his foreword. Among the most pressing threats detailed in the report is the systematic rollback of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Almost daily, since January 20, 2025, the federal government, at the direction the White House, has set fire to policies and entire departments dedicated to protecting civil and human rights, providing access to an equal education, fair housing, safe and effective healthcare, and ensuring that our democratic process is adhered to across the nation,” the report authors wrote. It also describes the radical transformation of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “Under its new leadership, the Civil Rights Division has been hollowed out and repurposed, transforming from a guardian of justice into a tool for political retribution,” the report said. Within weeks of the new administration taking power, “cases against election deniers who’ve tampered with the election equipment were dismissed and January 6th rioters were pardoned.”

The report also warns of a rise in digital extremism. “During the 2024 election cycle, accounts supporting progressive candidates also saw their accounts blocked and shadow-banned without explanation,” the report documented. It calls this “a digital rollback of rights mirroring what’s happening in courts and legislatures.” Describing the coordinated backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the report stated: “Following the murder of George Floyd, far-right extremists seized an opportunity to stop the calls for racial equity by reframing the policies as ‘woke’ and anti-American.” The American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum, “continued its assault on organizations with ‘unfair,’ ‘race-based’ diversity and equity programs.” In one high-profile case, the group sued the Fearless Fund, “forcing it to suspend its $20,000 grant program for women of color entrepreneurs, claiming ‘anti-white’ bias.”

The National Urban League’s response, detailed in the report, includes a broad campaign of legal challenges, advocacy, and community organizing. It has launched the Equitable Justice and Strategic Initiatives division, established the 21 Pillars for Public Safety framework, and coordinated the Fair Budget Coalition to push for a “just and inclusive FY2026 federal budget.” The League also filed suit, alongside Lambda Legal and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, challenging executive orders that target diversity and equity. “This is not business as usual,” Morial said. “This is an emergency. The National Urban League urges vigilance, mobilization, solidarity, and support. This year’s State of Black America is a call to action to stand together as we defend our rights and the principles of American democracy in our courts, our communities, and our coalitions.”

Contributors to the report include civil rights leaders, attorneys, and elected officials such as Damon Hewitt, Kristen Clarke, Janai Nelson, LaTosha Brown, U.S. Representatives Steven Horsford and Hakeem Jeffries, and others committed to defending democracy. “We are witnessing something more than policy shifts. We are watching an attempt to turn back the clock to an era when the full humanity of all Americans was not recognized—when the idea of true equality was treated as a threat to the social order,” the report authors concluded. “What we face today is a deliberate, coordinated effort to deny the future of a more just and inclusive America.”

The full report, essays, and resources are available at http://www.stateofblackamerica.org.

Stacy M. Brown

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State of Preschool Yearbook Provides an Annual Snapshot of State-Funded Preschool

By National Institute for Early Education Research Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs. “Georgia is proud to be a leader in quality early childhood education as we work to ensure all Georgians have the opportunity to succeed, including our youngest learners,” said Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Having strategically invested in our Pre-K classrooms, we are both meeting all 10 NIEER benchmarks of excellence and giving Georgia students a […]

Published

4 days ago

April 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By National Institute for Early Education Research

Georgia’s state-funded pre-k program for 4-year-olds was recognized as the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks, and the first universal program to do so. Georgia’s recognition is the top finding in the National Institute for Early Education Research’s new 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook. The yearbook provides an annual snapshot of state-funded preschool across the country. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia fund preschool programs.

“Georgia is proud to be a leader in quality early childhood education as we work to ensure all Georgians have the opportunity to succeed, including our youngest learners,” said Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Having strategically invested in our Pre-K classrooms, we are both meeting all 10 NIEER benchmarks of excellence and giving Georgia students a strong start on the path of lifelong learning.”

Only five additional states meet all 10 of NIEER’s research-based benchmarks for quality —Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island—in this year’s report. None of those programs has the reach of Georgia Pre-K. NIEER’s benchmarks measure essential preschool quality indicators, including teacher qualifications, class sizes, early learning standards, and program assessments.

“Other states should take note: Georgia proves that state-funded preschool with well-qualified teachers, pay parity with K-12, small classes, and strong continuous improvement systems can be scaled as a universal program,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “With new initiatives to support quality, Georgia can expect increased enrollment, but leaders should also actively promote increased enrollment.”

Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-2025. The pace of growth slowed, however, compared to the prior year, and many states continue to lag behind pre-pandemic enrollment levels.

Preschool enrollment increased by 44,000 children nationally, reaching almost 1.8 million, including 37% of U.S. four-year-olds and 9% of three-year-olds. California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri contributed the most to increased enrollment, adding more than 52,000 new seats.

States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-2025. Including federal and local dollars, total spending was almost $17.7 billion. Three states each spent more than $1 billion last year: California ($4.1 billion), New Jersey ($1.2 billion), and New York ($1 billion). Together, these three states account for45% of all state preschool spending. Texas adds almost another $1 billion.

Spending increased by $434 million, or 3%, adjusted for inflation. Twenty-eight states increased preschool funding, including Michigan and New Jersey, which each added more than $100 million.

“Not only does preschool access vary by which state a child happens to live in, but so does the quality of that preschool experience,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report. “Only high-quality early care and education programs support children’s development enough to result in lasting academic and other gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers.”

A record six states met all 10 of NIEER’s recommended quality standards, with Alabama doing so for the 20th consecutive year.

Georgia joined this list this year after improving its teacher-to-child ratio from 1:11 to 1:10 and lowering maximum class sizes to 20. Several states met 9 of 10 benchmarks, including New Mexico, which is working toward universal access for both three- and four-year-olds. Once New Mexico requires all lead teachers to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, it will be on par with Georgia in terms of both quality and quantity.

Not all states moved forward. Twenty states enrolled fewer preschoolers in 2024-2025 than the prior year, with enrollment dropping by more than 1,000 children in Arizona, Florida, NewYork, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Seventeen states spent less on preschool than the prior year, adjusted for inflation, with Arizona, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas seeing the largest percentage declines.

Additional information about the State of Preschool Yearbook, including individual state profiles and maps, graphs, and state rankings, can be found at www.nieer.org.

The 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook was supported with funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Gates Foundation.

The National Institute for Early Education Research at theRutgers Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy and practice through independent, objective research and the translation of research to policy and practice

Oakland Post

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Which features on the 2026 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn are actually worth having?

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