BIN: Black Information Network Partners with The Obama Foundation to Advance Community Engagement with Youth
'This powerful collaboration will deliver important, unbiased information to our audiences, promote civic engagement, and foster inclusive dialogue. In today's news environment, our responsibility is to ensure the stories, commitment and goals of civic and community leaders are heard by our listeners and carried forward by future generations,' said Tony Coles, President of BIN: Black Information Network.
'The Obama Foundation is proud to partner with BIN in this unique collaboration to advance youth engagement,' said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. 'Working together, we will amplify the critical work of the leaders working every day to make a difference in their communities and elevate stories of progress, unity and justice to a wider audience, inspiring collective action for a more equitable future.'
This multi-year collaboration will build upon BIN's mission to provide a nonpartisan and responsible news service to the Black community while showcasing the transformative programs of the Obama Foundation, including the Leaders Program; My Brother's Keeper Alliance; Girls Opportunity Alliance; Obama Foundation Scholars; and others that empower young leaders, support educational and career opportunities and foster inclusive communities that incite leadership and sustainable change.
Additionally, BIN will advance the mission of the Obama Presidential Center in the runup to opening in 2026 by sharing and distributing stories focused on President Obama's legacy, community-driven initiatives on the South Side of Chicago and engaging in national conversations around equity, democracy and change.
About BIN: Black Information Network
BIN: Black Information Network reaches over 19 million monthly listeners and is distributed nationally through the iHeartRadio app and is available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices as well as on local AM/FM broadcast radio stations across America, including Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
About The Obama Foundation
The Obama Foundation is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. That mission begins on the South Side of Chicago, where the Foundation is building the Obama Presidential Center. The Obama Presidential Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation's first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. Not only will the Center generate billions of dollars of economic opportunity and help reconnect and revitalize Jackson Park, but it will also serve as a reminder to young visitors—from around the city and from around the world—that their potential is limitless.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Target has another big problem amid alarming customer behavior
Target (TGT) , which has almost 2,000 stores nationwide, is struggling to shake a concerning shift in customer behavior that has significantly impacted its sales for several financial quarters. In Target's first-quarter earnings report for 2025, it revealed that its comparable store sales dipped by 3.8% year-over-year. Also, according to recent data from the number of customers visiting Target stores per location shrank by 4.8% year-over-year during the quarter. Related: Target announces generous offers to win back customers The pullback from consumers comes at a time when many are battling inflation and are concerned that tariffs will further increase prices for everyday goods. Also, Target recently faced backlash for scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which sparked several consumer boycotts. During an earnings call in May, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the company is operating in an "exceptionally challenging environment," with several factors negatively impacting business. "For several years now, we've seen pressure in our discretionary businesses, as spending adjusted down from elevated levels during the pandemic and then moved further away in the face of historically high inflation in needs-based categories," said Cornell. "On top of those ongoing challenges, we faced several additional headwinds this quarter, including five consecutive months of declining consumer confidence, uncertainty regarding the impact of potential tariffs, and the reaction to the updates we shared on Belonging in January." Image source: Universal Images Group via Getty Images Just last month, Target faced a major boycott from consumers, organized by The People's Union USA, for its DEI cuts. Now, another big group is threatening to make a similar move. On June 26, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) met with Target CEO Brian Cornell to discuss the retailer's decision to roll back its DEI policies in January. The cuts resulted in Target discontinuing its three-year DEI goals and Racial Equity Action and Change initiatives, which launched in 2020 and included advancing the careers of Black employees, instituting anti-racism training for staff members, promoting Black-owned businesses, and sourcing products from Black suppliers. Through these initiatives, Target also pledged to donate $1 million to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation over five years. Since 2020, the retailer has donated at least $1.4 million to the foundation. The CBC said in a recent press release that the conversation with Cornell was "candid and direct." However, it warned him that "efforts to restore consumer and public trust without genuine action and accountability" would risk causing "lasting damage" to Target's "brand and credibility." Related: Home Depot, Amazon, Starbucks suffer major boycott from customers During the meeting, the group demanded that Target recommit to DEI in a public forum and reinstate DEI policies that were "eliminated or rolled back." The CBC also demanded an update on the status of financial investments and other publicly pledged policies, as well as details of Target's workforce diversity, business supplier diversity, and community investment. However, the CBC is supporting a boycott of Target after the conversation with the company's leadership yielded disappointing results. "Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted," said the CBC in the press release. The CBC also highlighted that Black consumers have a significant impact on Target's "bottom line." "Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and to the Target Corporation's bottom line," said the CBC. "Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly." The CBC's boycott threat comes after Cornell has been ramping up his efforts to address the backlash over Target's DEI cuts. In April, Cornell met with the Rev. Al Sharpton to advert another potential Target boycott over DEI cuts. More Retail: Costco quietly plans to offer a convenient service for customersT-Mobile pulls the plug on generous offer, angering customersAT&T makes generous offer to older customers The following month, Cornell also reportedly sent an email to Target employees acknowledging that it had been "a tough few months," admitting that the company's lack of communication amid recent controversy had led to "uncertainty." He also emphasized that Target's values of "inclusivity, connection, drive" are "not up for debate" and said that the company is "committed" to sharing how its values create an impact. "The world around us is noisier and more complicated, but that doesn't change who we are," said Cornell. Related: Target faces another massive boycott from customers The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
Hundreds of Thousands of Women Are Leaving the Labor Force—Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new labor market analysis based on June 2025 data revealed that a significant number of women have left the U.S. labor force this year. According to the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) review of monthly releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 103,000 women aged 20 and over exited the labor force in June, while 163,000 men in the same age group entered. The data indicate that since January, a net 338,000 women have left the labor force, compared to a net gain of 183,000 men joining it during the same period. These trends unfolded as the national unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1 percent, with job gains primarily noted in the state government and healthcare sectors, and continued losses in federal government positions. Why It Matters The exodus of women from the labor force carries significant economic and societal implications, particularly as U.S. workforce participation rates have long served as key indicators of the nation's financial health. The NWLC pointed out that the June labor force changes were entirely attributable to male workers entering the job market, even as women continued to opt out. Compounding these gender disparities, Black men and women experienced heightened volatility in employment figures. While the unemployment rate for Black men aged 20 and over surged from 5.2 percent in May to 6.9 percent in June, the rate for Black women declined from 6.2 percent to 5.8 percent, yet remained markedly elevated compared to their white counterparts. The upward trend in Black women's unemployment since March 2023, following a post-pandemic low of 4.2 percent, signals deeper systemic challenges. Federal sector job cuts and broader labor market pressures appear to be accelerating the disparities. File photo of a woman working in an office. File photo of a woman working in an office. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images What To Know The BLS data showed that all labor force gains in June were among men over the age of 20, with 163,000 joining compared to the 103,000 women who left. The overall labor force participation rate stood little changed at 62.3 percent. Since January, men have gained 183,000 positions in the labor force while 338,000 women have collectively left their jobs. Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of attributed the exodus of female workers to the broader child care crisis in America. "It's about economic structures failing, not gender roles," Ryan told Newsweek. "I'd argue we're seeing the real cost of treating child care as a luxury rather than infrastructure. The economy's basically telling half its talent to stay home." Racial disparities were also visible in the June report. The unemployment rate for Black adults rose to 6.8 percent overall, driven in part by a dramatic increase for Black men, whose rate jumped from 5.2 percent to 6.9 percent in one month. Black women experienced a slight decline in the unemployment rate, falling from 6.2 percent in May to 5.8 percent in June; however, this remains notably higher than the rates for white women (3.1 percent) and white men (3.4 percent). Despite this drop, the unemployment trend for Black women has moved upward since spring 2023, exceeding pre-pandemic lows. Roughly 7,000 federal government jobs were lost in June, amounting to a cumulative 69,000 positions eliminated in the federal workforce since January. Notably, BLS labor force data does not count people on administrative leave or those receiving severance pay as unemployed, so the real impact of layoffs, particularly those reportedly initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), may be underestimated in the official numbers. The October 2020 analysis by the National Women's Law Center highlighted that at the pandemic's peak, women departed the workforce at four times the rate of men, a phenomenon largely attributed to caregiving burdens and heightened uncertainty in female-dominated sectors, such as hospitality, education and health care. In just one month in 2020, over 800,000 women aged 20 and over exited the workforce, compared to 216,000 men. This longstanding dynamic continues to influence today's labor trends. "There's been a renewed push, particularly from the current administration, toward traditional family values. This includes the idea that men should be the primary breadwinners while women stay home to raise children," Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. "But there's also a practical, economic factor: the cost of child care. For many families, especially those with multiple children, it's actually more cost-effective for one parent—typically the mother—to stay home rather than pay for expensive child care services." The 2025 data suggest that, even as traditionally women-populated sectors, such as health care, continue to post job gains, these have not offset broader structural barriers and job losses, particularly in the federal sector. Deep cuts in departments with historically higher employment of Black women, such as Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, have eliminated positions that once provided job security and pay equity. What People Are Saying Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of told Newsweek: "The numbers don't lie. It's about child care costs and impossible choices. Just look at the countries that have subsidized child care. They all have high levels of female labor force participation. "The system's forcing women out, not pulling them. In my view, we're watching educated, skilled women get priced out of working because nobody's solved the childcare equation." Jasmine Tucker, vice president for research at the National Women's Law Center, told Newsweek: "Costs are continuing to rise and the possibility of an upcoming recession is looming on the horizon. Couple that with rising child care prices, with the average family needing to make $180k/year to reasonably afford infant care, and the administration's attacks on the federal child care program Head Start, it's no surprise that women are leaving the labor force." Keith Spencer, a career expert at FlexJobs, told Newsweek: "Many women are still navigating job markets that lack the flexibility, wages, or caregiving support needed to remain consistently employed long term. The increase in men joining the labor force could reflect growth in male-dominated sectors like construction or manufacturing. Over time, without broader workplace shifts and more flexible work options, we risk reinforcing gender gaps in labor force participation." Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: "When families are financially penalized for both parents working, it discourages labor force participation. At the same time, we're seeing an increase in male labor force participation, driven in part by the deportation of migrant labor. Many of these roles, especially in physical labor and agriculture, are now being filled by domestic workers, often young men." What Happens Next The next Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled for release on August 1 at 8:30 a.m. EST, which may provide additional clarity on the trajectory of women's labor force participation and ongoing trends in unemployment. However, if child care does not become more readily accessible to everyday families, the trends could persist in the coming months. "We're not just talking about fairness anymore; we're talking about economic suicide," Ryan said. "In my opinion, we're voluntarily shrinking our labor pool during a worker shortage, which is about as economically sensible as burning money for heat."
Black America Web
13 hours ago
- Black America Web
DOGE Cuts Kill Georgia Internet Access Program For Black People
Source: justocker / Getty Several federal grants designed to expand internet access for rural and Black communities as well as help fund several non-profits focused on Black healthcare in Georgia were cut as part of the DOGE endeavor earlier this year. According to The Current, the Digital Equity Capacity Program was a federal grant intended to address the digital divide and provide high-speed internet access to rural and low-income communities, with $22 million set aside specifically for Georgia. The grant was abruptly canceled earlier this year by the Department of Commerce after Trump saw the word 'equity' and immediately labeled it 'a racist and illegal $2.5 billion giveaway,' on Truth Social. The grants weren't only designed to help Black and brown communities; seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and low-income families would have also received assistance to help catch up with the digital age. Georgia had a whole, 466-page plan outlining how they would spend the money. It would improve cell tower service across the state as well as provide access to fiber optic internet in rural communities such as McIntosh County. A third of McIntosh's population is Black and the county has a median income of $50,000, which is $25k less than the state at large. The plan would also expand telehealth services to those rural and low-income communities, as well as upgrade digital literacy to help identify cyber and telephone scammers. Speaking as a man with a Black grandmother, I know firsthand that our elders are especially susceptible to misinformation and scammers. With scammers getting more sophisticated and more robust, this is information that would help protect some of our most vulnerable. Source: Lacheev / Getty The Georgia DOGE cuts didn't stop at digital equity, they also targeted the Georgia Department of Public Health and various grants that would help improve the lives of Georgia's Black population. The Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lost $334 million in funding due to federal funding cuts earlier this year. As a result, several non-profits focused on Black health in Georgia have lost funding. The Center for Black Women's Wellness lost $438,000 as a result of the DOGE cuts. BLKHLTH Inc., a non-profit focused on vaccine equity in Georgia's Black community, said they would lose nearly $500,000. 'We are a small nonprofit and this was a million-dollar reimbursable grant, so that was a large percentage of our anticipated budget for the year,' BLKHLTH co-founder Kadijah Ameen told GPB. One of the most notable, and dangerous, funding cuts revolves around HIV/AIDS research and prevention. The Trump administration has already tried to withhold congressionally approved funding for nonprofits focused on HIV research and sexual health within the LGBTQ community. Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' cuts funding for HIV research, surveillance, and prevention efforts. Federal funding cuts to HIV research and prevention efforts would especially hit Georgia's Black population. Black people are only 31 percent of Georgia's population, yet make up 67 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the state. There's a lot of noise (for good reason) about the various atrocities and absurdities committed by the Trump administration on a daily basis. Yet the most insidious evil of the current administration is the way it has managed to weaponize the dollar to cause undue harm to Black, brown, and most vulnerable communities. SEE ALSO: Are DOGE's Massive Layoffs Hurting Black Workers? The Great White Heist: Trump's Plan to Bankrupt America SEE ALSO DOGE Cuts Kill Georgia Internet Access Program For Black People was originally published on
