Black Legislative & Community Knowledge

Dr. Kaytura Felix, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is leading the Black Birthing Futures study to examine how Black midwives address the maternal healthcare crisis through comprehensive, community-based care that extends beyond traditional medical approaches. After two decades studying health disparities, Felix shifted focus to investigate what the Black community itself was doing to combat the Black maternal mortality crisis, discovering that Black midwives provide holistic, family-centered care that considers social determinants of health including poverty, racism, and environmental factors. The research reveals that Black midwives offer extended postpartum visits, nutritional education, and emotional support that differs significantly from conventional fifteen-minute medical appointments, though they represent fewer than ten percent of the approximately 14,500 certified midwives in the United States. Felix created the Deep Care podcast to inform Black women about their birthing options and challenge stigmas surrounding midwifery care within the Black community while highlighting proven solutions to maternal health disparities.

New data from the Pew Research Center reveals that Black teenagers use AI chatbots at triple the rate of white teenagers for schoolwork, with 18% of Black teens relying on AI for most or all assignments compared to just 6% of white teens. Psychologists express concern that this disparity could widen educational achievement gaps, as AI-dependent learning may reduce critical thinking skills and deeper comprehension, similar to having someone else lift weights at the gym. The risks are compounded by inconsistent school policies on AI use, cultural biases embedded in language models that favor standardized voices, and detection tools that disproportionately flag non-native English speakers for cheating. Additionally, Black teens use chatbots significantly more for news consumption and emotional support, with experts particularly worried about unqualified AI systems providing mental health guidance to vulnerable young people. # Key Takeaways

California Assemblymember Corey Jackson has introduced AB 1201, known as the "ReUNITY Act," which seeks to reform state laws that automatically prevent parents with violent felony convictions from accessing child-welfare reunification services. The legislation, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with an 11-2 vote on June 23, would require courts to provide these services unless evidence demonstrates reunification harms the child's interests, replacing the current system where criminal records automatically disqualify parents. Jackson argues that the existing policy stems from outdated "tough on crime" approaches from the 1980s and 1990s that prevent rehabilitated individuals from reuniting with their children even when they pose no threat. The bill has advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee after previously passing the Assembly floor with a 55-15 vote in early June.

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield has appointed Addofio Addo, a former Bedrock executive, as the city's first director of retail attraction with an annual salary of $125,000. Addo, who previously facilitated major retail openings like Rihanna's Savage X Fenty store and Apple's downtown location, will work to bring both national brands and local businesses to Detroit's neighborhood commercial corridors. This position supports Sheffield's "neighborhood anchor plan" aimed at strengthening economic development outside downtown areas so residents can shop closer to home. However, existing small business owners have expressed concerns about ensuring adequate support for established local businesses alongside efforts to attract larger retailers. # Key Takeaways

Detroit Public Schools Community District is asking voters to approve an 18-mill operating millage for 20 years in the August 4 primary election, which would generate approximately $112 million annually for general operating expenses like classroom programming and staff salaries. This request comes after the state eliminated $124 million in operating funds it had been providing to the district since 2016, when lawmakers created DPSCD as a debt-free entity separate from the original Detroit Public Schools, which now exists only to collect tax revenue and pay off old debt. The millage would only affect commercial, rental, and vacation property owners, not primary homeowners, and follows a court ruling that prevented the district from continuing to use the old DPS millage revenue. If voters reject the proposal, the district would face a deficit of $111 million for the 2027-28 school year, putting significant portions of its $1.1 billion budget at risk. # Key Takeaways

Two nurses from southeast Michigan argue that state environmental officials are using regulatory loopholes to mask a serious ozone pollution crisis in Detroit rather than addressing its root causes. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued temporary air quality warnings while simultaneously trying to exclude problematic ozone data by blaming wildfire smoke, even as Detroit's East Seven Mile monitoring station has exceeded federal health standards for a decade. The authors emphasize that chronic ozone exposure causes severe health consequences, particularly for children, including stunted lung development, birth defects, and cognitive impairment, with asthma hospitalizations on Detroit's east side nearly ten times higher than the rest of Michigan. Rather than pursuing data manipulation and encouraging individuals to temporarily reduce emissions during alerts, the nurses call for EGLE to implement meaningful reductions in controllable pollution sources like transportation corridors and industrial facilities to protect vulnerable communities.