AFL-CIO President Responds to Trump's Illegal Firing of NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox

In response to news of President Trump’s firing of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox and NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement:

President Trump’s firing of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the board, is illegal and will have immediate consequences for working people. By leaving only two board members in their posts, the President has effectively shut down the National Labor Relations Board’s operations, leaving the workers it defends on their own in the face of union-busting and retaliation. Alongside the firing of NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, these moves will make it easier for bosses to violate the law and trample on workers’ legal rights on the job and fundamental freedom to organize. Member Wilcox has already indicated she will challenge her firing, and we fully expect she will succeed in the courts and be restored to her position so she can continue to be a critical pro-worker voice on the NLRB.

Jerry Dickinson named dean of University of Pittsburgh School of Law

After a comprehensive national search, Professor and Vice Dean Jerry Dickinson has been named the new dean of the School of Law effective Jan. 15, 2025.

A Pittsburgh native, Jerry has built a national, international, and local reputation as a constitutional law scholar and civil rights lawyer. He has extensive litigation and transactional pro bono experience in civil rights and civil liberties.

In 2017, Jerry joined the Pitt Law faculty and was then appointed as Vice Dean in March 2023. His teaching and scholarship specialize in constitutional law, civil rights and civil liberties, judicial federalism, property, law and democracy, and race and the law. He has been published in the nation’s top law reviews and cited by U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Sixth Circuits, amicus briefs filed by Members of Congress in federal courts, and in national and international news outlets.

Before joining the Pitt Law faculty, Jerry practiced at Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh, where he founded and coordinated the Housing Rights Project, a pro bono initiative advocating for indigent tenants in eviction proceedings in Allegheny County. He also served as a law clerk for Theodore A. McKee, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia.

Jerry is also a former Fulbright Scholar to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he studied comparative constitutional law and housing. There he worked as a human rights activist, representing squatters in eviction proceedings.

Jerry holds a JD from Fordham University, an LLM from the University of the Witwatersrand School of Law in Johannesburg, South Africa, and an AB in political science and sociology from the College of the Holy Cross.

National Alliance for Black Business (NABB) Secures Historic USPTO Federal Trademarks

The National Alliance for Black Business (NABB)®, co-founded by the National Business League (NBL)®, National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC)®, and The World Conference of Mayors (WCM)®, proudly announces the official registration of two groundbreaking trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): National Alliance for Black Business (U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7616333) and NABB National Alliance for Black Business (U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7606600). These trademarks represent a monumental step in institutionalizing Black economic empowerment and creating a unified platform to advocate for Black businesses globally.

Historical Context and Legacy:

This milestone is a testament to over a century of advocacy for Black economic independence, tracing back to Booker T. Washington's founding of the National Business League in 1900. His vision of self-reliance and economic sovereignty for Black Americans is at the heart of NABB's mission to unify and empower Black businesses in today's global economic landscape.

Key Milestones and Leadership Insights:

• Trademark Achievement: The trademarks not only secure legal protections but also symbolize a commitment to a unified Black business narrative.
• Leadership Insights:
• Dr. Ken L. Harris, NBL President and NABB Co-Founder: "This legal victory is emblematic of our dedication to redefining Black economic empowerment, leveraging historical foundations for future prosperity."
• Honorable Johnny Ford, WCM Founder: "These trademarks are a pivot in our global economic strategy, showcasing the strength of unity in advancing Black business interests."
• Charles H. DeBow III, NBCC President and CEO: "The trademarks affirm our resolve to ensure Black businesses are recognized and integrated into the broader economic system, fostering accountability across sectors."

Past 2024 Accomplishments Leading to the Trademark Approval:

• Formation of NABB (2022): A collaborative initiative uniting the NBL, NBCC, and WCM and 100+ to amplify Black economic equity.
• NABB Hosted the NBL's 124th National Black Business Conference (2024): A landmark event attended by more than 3,000 participants and delegations from 32 Pan-African countries, with President Joseph Boakai of Liberia as a keynote speaker.
• USAID/NABB Partnership (2024): A historic MOU aimed at strengthening trade ties between Black businesses in the U.S. and the Pan-African diaspora.
• NBL/NABB Black Supplier Development Program (2024): Generated over $150 million in contracts, demonstrating the success of intentional economic inclusion strategies.
• USAID/NABB Caribbean Trade Mission (2024): Launched initiatives to expand trade and commerce between Black American businesses and Caribbean nations.

The Road Ahead:

NABB will continue its momentum with the upcoming launch of the Black Business Enterprise (BBE) Certification and Scorecard Program, scheduled for the NBL's 125th Quasquicentennial National Black Business Conference in Atlanta in August 2025. This program will further solidify conference host NABB's role in promoting economic sovereignty and equitable resource distribution for Black businesses worldwide.

About the Co-Founders:

• NABB: A nonprofit federation of Black business and professional organizations dedicated to Black business advocacy, representing interests across the U.S. and the Pan-African diaspora. Visit www.nationalallianceforblackbusiness.com.
• NBL: The oldest Black business trade association, founded by Booker T. Washington, advocating for economic equity since 1900 and owner of NABB. Visit www.nationalbusinessleague.org.
• NBCC: A leading advocate for Black economic empowerment since 1993, with extensive chapter networks across the U.S. and globally. Visit www.nationalbcc.org.
• WCM: Founded by Honorable Johnny Ford, WCM facilitates global mayoral collaboration for economic and cultural development. Visit www.worldconferenceofmayors.org.

US Department of Labor to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity

Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone today transmitted Secretary’s Order 03-2025 to all department employees, directing them to cease and desist all investigative and enforcement activity under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 and the regulations promulgated under it.

The order applies to all department employees, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Administrative Law Judges and the Administrative Review Board.

The department no longer has any authority under the rescinded Executive Order 11246 or its regulations.

Read the Secretary's order here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/newsreleases/2025/01/Secretarys-Order-03-2025.pdf

Bestselling author Roxane Gay is CCNY's 2025 Langston Hughes medalist

Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling author and noted scholar, is the City College of New York's 2025 Langston Hughes Medal recipient. She'll receive the Medal at CCNY's 46th annual Langston Hughes Festival, Feb. 13-14. This year's event commemorates the centenary of the Harlem Renaissance, that intellectual and cultural revival of African-American literature, music, art, theater and scholarship of which Langston Hughes was a central figure.

The medal is awarded to highly distinguished writers from throughout the African American diaspora. It recognizes honorees for their impressive works of poetry, fiction, drama, autobiography and critical essays that help to celebrate the memory and tradition of Langston Hughes. Past award winners include:

• James Baldwin;
• Gwendolyn Brooks;
• Toni Morrison;
• August Wilson;
• Maya Angelou;
• Octavia Butler;
• Edwidge Danticat;
• Zadie Smith;
• Michael Eric Dyson;
• Rita Dove;
• Jamaica Kincaid;
• Lynn Nottage; and
• Carlson Whitehead. 

A prolific writer, Gay has authored and edited numerous books. The list includes her 2014 debut An Untamed State, the New York Times bestsellers Bad Feminist and Hunger; the nationally bestselling Difficult Women, and the World of Wakanda for Marvel. Click here for a full list of her books.

Gay's writing appears also in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, and Best Sex Writing 2012.  Among the many literary magazines frequently publishing her work are: A Public Space, McSweeney's, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, and Virginia Quarterly Review. Read more here.

In 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty -- the online news and entertainment publication that covers LGBTQ-related topics, including news and politics -- named Gay among the 50 heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people." She was also included in the 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list.

Gay is a graduate of Norwich University (B.A.), the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (M.A.) and Michigan Technological University (Ph.D.).

The Langston Hughes Festival commences Thursday, Feb. 13, with a student symposium. The evening ceremony will include a reading by Gay, and a conversation between her and author Edwidge Danticat, the 2011 Langston Hughes medalist.

Concluding the program on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, will be the first Langston Hughes Festival Fundraising Breakfast.

"The 2025 Langston Hughes Festival Theme is Black Love, and we will celebrate Black Love in all its iterations," said Jervette R. Ward, Festival Director and Chair of CCNY's Black Studies Department. "In addition, in honor of both Gay and Danticat, this special two-day Harlem Renaissance Centennial will include a celebration of Haitian music and food."

Both Gay and Danticat are of Haitian heritage.