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Tracy Morgan finds fulfillment in his charity work. The actor and comedian recently told PEOPLE that through his partnership with the Edison, NJ–based Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, he has donated more than $200,000 to provide food and support to 19,000 families. According to the foundation’s website, it raises funds for programs and services across the Hackensack Meridian Health network, helping modernize facilities, advance treatments, support research, train future physicians, and strengthen healthcare delivery in local communities. “It’s fun to get the love and support, but it’s better when you give it back,” Morgan said, according to PEOPLE. “That’s what I want to teach my children. More than a great education, I just want [Maven] and her brothers to be empathic.” Morgan, 57, told the outlet that his personal experiences, including a serious car crash in 2014, shaped his outlook on life. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he was among several people injured in a...
Students at Queens High School for the Sciences — the New York borough’s only specialized high school — are pushing to move to a brand-new building, relocating from the second floor of York College’s Jamaica building. Citing issues including overcrowding and the lack of a kitchen and auditorium, students hope to move into the new city-built school at 165-15 88th Ave., scheduled to open in fall 2026, ChalkBeat New York reports . Sophomore Vinny Dong has twice addressed the Panel for Educational Policy, the school board that handles school location proposals, about his school’s conditions. “We have a gym shared with a college that’s two blocks away, for 514 students. We have a library that’s also shared, even though it’s critical for our educational content and classes,” Dong told the panel in October 2025, per ChalkBeat. At least three of the seven parent boards in the borough, along with the citywide high school parent council, also support relocation or creating an entirely new...
A vending machine has opened to feed families in The Bronx. According to a report from the New York State Department of Health in January 2024, among New York City boroughs, The Bronx had the highest percentage (39%) of people who were food insecure. Challenges may have only heightened after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were halted during the recent U.S. government shutdown, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Although benefits were restored, estimates from the Congressional Budget Office report that, as a result of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, 2.4 million people could lose SNAP benefits altogether between 2025 and 2034. The bill adjusted requirements for those receiving SNAP, and now individuals will have to work, volunteer, or participate in job training totaling at least 80 hours per month, CNN reports. If they don’t meet the requirement, they can only receive SNAP benefits for three months every three years. Change Food For Good, a New York...
Medicare Part B premiums are set to rise in 2026, affecting monthly costs for millions of beneficiaries. According to a press release, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated premiums, deductions, and coinsurance for Part A, Part B, and Part D of Medicare. In the announcement, the standard monthly Part B premium was shown to increase to $202.90 for 2026, up $17.90 from 2025. The 9.7% adjustment marks the program’s second-largest increase on record, as Newsweek reports. The highest jump came in 2022, when it went up to $21.60. CMS said the latest change reflects anticipated shifts in medical costs and expected growth in service use, consistent with historical trends. According to the press release, Part B covers services such as doctor’s visits, outpatient hospital care, preventive care, lab tests, durable medical equipment, and certain home health services. Enrollment is optional, but most Medicare-eligible individuals participate to fill coverage gaps not...
Americans may have to wait until next year to learn whether a proposed $2,000 tariff-funded dividend check becomes a reality, according to new comments from President Donald Trump. President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Nov. 17, that his administration is preparing for what he described as “dividends” tied to national tariff revenue, USA TODAY reports. He said the goal is to send “thousands of dollars” to Americans, estimating that the earliest timeline would be sometime around mid-2026. According to the outlet, during his conversation with the press, Trump said the government expects to start issuing payments “probably in the middle of next year, a little bit later than that,” adding that the proposed amounts would specifically support “moderate income, middle income” households. His remarks echo messaging he has repeated for months, including a Nov. 10 post on Truth Social where he said $2,000 checks would go to “low and middle income USA Citizens.” The idea...
President Donald Trump has proposed a bold plan to return some of the tariff revenue collected by the federal government directly to Americans — potentially putting $2,000 in the pockets of middle- and low-income households, according to Business Insider. Trump outlined the idea in a series of posts on Truth Social, where he described a “dividend” funded by tariffs. “A dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” he wrote, emphasizing that those earning above certain thresholds would not be included. Although posts about the tariff rebate checks have attracted significant attention, they do not represent official government action. How The Proposal Would Work In corporate terms, a dividend is a distribution of profits to shareholders. In this case, Trump’s plan, according to Business Insider, would treat Americans as “shareholders” of the federal government, distributing a portion of revenue collected from import tariffs. Trump...
Filmmaker and philanthropist Tyler Perry has donated nearly $1.4 million to several nonprofit organizations supporting families affected by the loss of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. According to People, the funds are directed to groups that serve children, seniors, and low-income working households. Perry, 56, distributed the donation across multiple organizations, including Atlanta Community Food Bank, Baby2Baby, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Caring for Others, All for Lunch, Ron Clark Academy, and Goodr. In a statement shared with People, Perry spoke about the impact of reduced food assistance on families. “If you’ve never been poor then you may not fully understand the life-changing impact SNAP benefits mean to hard-working people, to our seniors and to our children,” he said. “For millions of people, it could mean extreme hunger. For newborns, it could mean a lack of access to formula.” Perry described...
Spelman College is expanding its partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON), formerly known as the National Education Equity Lab. The collaboration provides high school students from Title I schools — those serving large numbers of low-income families — with access to college-level courses for credit, according to a university press release. Since launching in spring 2023, the partnership has grown significantly, from one course with 50 students to nearly 300 students enrolled across two Spelman-led classes in 2025. To date, the initiative has reached more than 767 high school scholars from 47 schools in 19 cities, including New York City; Nashville, TN; Jackson, MS; Charleston, SC; and Washington, DC. The first course, “The Education of Black Girls,” was developed and taught by Andrea Lewis, Ph.D., director of Spelman’s Student Success Program and associate professor of education. The class allows high school students to explore identity, race, gender, and...
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has put its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) program on hold, marking an unexpected shift in the firm’s efforts to support founders from underserved communities, TechCrunch reports. Launched in 2020, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, the program aimed to bridge gaps in venture capital access for entrepreneurs, particularly women and minority founders, by offering mentorship, funding, and industry connections. The a16z TxO fund pause comes after five years of operations, during which the program supported more than 60 companies, per TechCrunch, including Brown Girl Magazine, food tech startup Myles Comfort Foods, and maternity tech company Villie. Participants benefitted from a 16-week training program, access to a professional network, and $175,000 in investments via a donor-advised fund managed by the nonprofit Tides Foundation. In 2024, TxO expanded to include grants of $50,000 each for three nonprofits focused on tech entrepreneurship in underserved...
Atlanta-based Goodr Co. is stepping up for the community as millions are set to experience a pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In an Instagram video shared Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, Goodr Founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston issued a call for help. “As many of you may have heard, millions of people will lose their SNAP benefits in just a few days, including hundreds of thousands right here in Metro Atlanta ,” Crowe-Houston said. “What this means is that their grocery budgets will disappear overnight. At Goodr, we’re stepping up to fill the gap,” she continued. The tech-enabled sustainable food waste management company has launched the Goodr Community Fund, allowing the public to make a direct impact. For a $10 donation, donors can sponsor a “grab bag” meal that feeds a family of four. For an additional $5, Goodr will deliver groceries and meals directly to seniors and families. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Goodr Inc (@goodrco)...
The construction of hyperscale AI data centers is booming across the United States, but non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) keep many details hidden from affected communities. According to NBC News, major tech companies require landowners and public officials to sign NDAs to receive limited information and the promise of economic benefits. In March 2025, three men approached Dr. Timothy Grosser and his son Andy with a $10 million offer for their 250-acre Mason County, KY, farm — 35 times what they paid in 1988 and far above local land prices. The buyers refused to reveal their identities, with one man claiming to represent a “Fortune 100 company” but offering no names — only an NDA. Dr. Grosser said the contract would have barred him from discussing the project, offering only limited details about its purpose, timeline, and size in return. “We refused to sign it,” Grosser said, per NBC. “I’m not selling my farm for any amount of money.” Grosser is among 20 residents offered deals to...
DoorDash announced an Emergency Food Response to help Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as federal funding faces potential disruption. According to a press release, the initiative will deliver 1 million free meals to more than 300 Project DASH food bank partners nationwide in November. It will waive delivery and service fees for roughly 300,000 grocery orders for SNAP recipients in partnership with grocery stores, including Sprouts, Dollar General, Schnucks, Food Lion, Giant Foods, The GIANT Company, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle, and Wegmans. The release notes that these fees can be waived on a single order for customers with linked SNAP/EBT cards. DoorDash will also waive merchant fees for all partner food banks, pantries, and community organizations. In addition, DoorDash will donate fresh food, shelf-stable items, and household essentials from DashMart stores to local food banks in affected communities, notes the release. As...
Is Walmart closing on November 1st? Many people are curious — and increasingly concerned — as the government shutdown continues with no clear end in sight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in a notice on its website that the shutdown will cause Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to stop being issued starting Nov. 1, 2025. According to Newsweek, this could lead to a major drop in consumer spending for Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer. “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01,” the USDA wrote on its website. The department attributed the continued shutdown to Senate Democrats’ failure to act. “We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” the notice adds. “They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition...
The federal government shutdown has entered its fourth week and is now threatening one of the nation’s most widely used assistance programs. According to USA Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will stop going out on Nov. 1 if lawmakers do not reach a deal to reopen the government. The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 following a congressional impasse over funding and healthcare policy, is now the second-longest in U.S. history, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed and just as many others working without pay, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Agencies that rely on annual appropriations are running low on resources. The USDA confirmed that SNAP, which provides food assistance to more than 40 million Americans, has exhausted its budget for November and cannot legally draw from emergency disaster funds to cover regular monthly benefits. And even if it could use some of these...
A hub has opened in Houston’s historic Third Ward to combat health and housing disparities. Urban Public Health and Housing On Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2025, Texas Southern University unveiled a new Institute, Urban Public Health and Housing, which resides in the W.R. Banks Child Development Center, according to a news release . The 6,000-square-foot hub will address public health, affordable housing, and community wellness. It was also a focus area for the late Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who secured a $2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration for the initiative, the Houston Chronicle reports. She wanted Third Ward to be the “example to impoverished communities around the nation.” “It’s a reinvestment in the future of urban public health, housing, and community empowerment,” said Michelle John, Texas Southern’s vice president for research and innovation, according to the outlet. The hub will offer conference and workforce training rooms,...