February 9, 2025

Welcome to our weekly Sunday newsletter. From USAID’s cuts being felt across Africa to Viola Davis supporting her hometown community, this week’s stories explore the intersection of culture, policy and global impact.

How USAID Cuts May Reshape Africa?

By DeClan Walsh

For decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a pillar of American foreign aid, providing over $8 billion annually to support health care, education, and humanitarian efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in a stunning move, President Trump and Elon Musk have pushed to dismantle the agency, alleging corruption and inefficiency. While a federal judge has temporarily halted some aspects of the shutdown, mass firings and funding cuts have already left aid programs in disarray, jeopardizing millions of lives.

The impact of USAID’s collapse is being felt across Africa, where governments and aid organizations scramble to fill the void left by disappearing U.S. funding. In Kenya alone, at least 40,000 health care workers have lost their jobs, and crucial refugee programs face an uncertain future. Economic instability looms as aid-dependent nations like South Sudan and Somalia brace for devastating shortfalls, while humanitarian groups warn that critical medical and food supplies will soon run out.

Despite legal challenges and pushback from aid officials, the Trump administration appears determined to dismantle USAID at breakneck speed, with Musk’s team assuming control of its Washington operations and ordering most staff to return home. As emergency exemptions for food and medical aid prove largely ineffective, African nations must now navigate a future without the support of a once-powerful American institution. Meanwhile, the broader implications for U.S. foreign policy remain uncertain, as allies and adversaries alike watch the unraveling of six decades of American engagement on the continent.

campus chronicles // hbcu edition

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) received a $25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch Project HBCU Capacity Building, a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening HBCUs through research funding, operational improvements, technology upgrades, and collaborative learning communities to enhance student success and institutional sustainability. The project will provide direct funding to select schools while developing strategies that benefit all HBCUs, ensuring long-term growth and innovation in Black higher education.

Tennis star Coco Gauff donated $100,000 to UNCF to establish the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program, providing scholarships for HBCU students playing competitive tennis. Inspired by her family’s deep HBCU ties, Gauff aims to support Black student athletes in both sports and education, reinforcing representation and opportunity in higher learning.

The NBA today announced that the Morehouse College and Tuskegee University men’s basketball programs have been selected to compete in the 2025 NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T as part of NBA All-Star 2025 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) matchup will take place on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Oakland Arena. The fourth NBA HBCU Classic will broadcast on ESPN+, NBA TV and TruTV.

black history in quotes 

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culture

Legendary Rhode Islander Viola Davis announced a new foundation alongside her husband, actor Julius Tennon. 

The Davis/Tennon Foundation will “foster connections between individuals and community-based organizations across Rhode Island to address critical social issues,” including empowering women, preventing domestic violence, enhancing after-school opportunities and addressing housing challenges, according to an announcement. The couple expects their annual support to reach nearly $1 million in Central Falls and beyond.

“The birth of the Davis/Tennon Foundation started with the realization that the gift of success is the ability to give back,” Davis said in a statement.

Our editor, Lisa D.Tinsley, would like to thank you for spending part of your day with KISA News Radio.

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