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White Comfort, Black Betrayal: When Our Billionaires Forget Us

November 10, 2025

This opinion piece condemns wealthy Black celebrities and billionaires for abandoning the Black Press, an institution founded in 1827 that has historically documented African American struggles and achievements when mainstream media ignored them. The author contrasts white philanthropists like Mark Cuban and MacKenzie Scott, who have donated substantial sums to Black causes, with Black billionaires who direct their wealth toward white institutions or remain silent while their community faces systematic attacks. The article details how the Trump administration is dismantling Black progress through mass firings of Black federal workers, cuts to social programs, and removal of Black leadership, while major corporations retreat from diversity commitments made after George Floyd's murder.

Who is affected

  • The Black Press as an institution
  • Over 300,000 Black women who have lost federal jobs
  • Millions of Americans (many Black) facing food stamp cuts
  • Black elders experiencing healthcare cuts
  • Families dependent on WIC and Medicaid programs
  • Four-star Black generals who were fired
  • The Black Librarian of Congress who was removed
  • Black leadership across military and academic institutions
  • Black-owned media struggling financially
  • The broader Black American community facing erosion of civil rights gains

What action is being taken

  • The Trump administration is fighting a judge's order to restore food stamps
  • Trump's government is gutting healthcare for elders
  • WIC and Medicaid are under attack
  • White corporations (Target, Amazon, Meta, McDonald's, Citigroup, Disney, AT&T, Goldman Sachs) are pulling back from diversity and equity commitments
  • The Black Press continues reporting and bearing witness to these events
  • Black billionaires are directing wealth to non-Black institutions (Dr. Dre donated to USC, Jay-Z partners with white corporations on casino projects)

Why it matters

  • This situation represents a critical threat to Black institutional memory, advocacy, and political power at a moment when civil rights gains are being systematically dismantled. The Black Press has historically served as the only media institution consistently documenting African American experiences, achievements, and injustices—from Emmett Till's murder to the Civil Rights Movement. Its potential collapse would eliminate a crucial independent voice holding power accountable while the broader media landscape remains predominantly white-controlled. The article argues this moment reveals a dangerous pattern where those with the resources to sustain Black institutions instead seek acceptance within white power structures, abandoning communal solidarity precisely when coordinated resistance is most needed against policies explicitly targeting Black Americans.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint

White Comfort, Black Betrayal: When Our Billionaires Forget Us