by Black Kos Editor, Justice Putnam
Roland Harris was raised to do everything, build a house, design a bridge, write a poem, cook a meal. He had competed in the Decathlon while a grad student in Physics. He was of the first generation of men who assisted in the birth of their children. He farmed and repaired the equipment. He taught History and coached Track and Field. He had traveled the world and spoke several languages.
So it came as quite a shock when Roland Harris awoke from a coma and realized no one believed he had any qualifications.
“Your skills are obsolete,” the MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist told him.
Roland Harris had spent two months with the MAHA-assigned Physical Therapist before this first meeting with the MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist.
“But I’ve only been in a coma for the last five years,” Roland Harris argued, “after all that physical rehab, I’m strong as an ox. I grew up on a ranch, I could dig a ditch if I had to.”
“No,” the MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist replied hesitantly, “with the gap in your employment history, you couldn’t get a job even as a ditch-digger.”
“But I’ve designed and built bridges,” Roland Harris pointed out.
“Same problem,” was the response, “you’re competing with folks who have five more years experience than you, and I must say, are much younger.”
“Wait a second!” Roland Harris insisted, “I’m not even seventy years old. You are the people who said I have come back and work to collect my social security I paid into since I was sixteen. I have degrees in Physics and also the Humanities. I’ve owned and managed a couple of small businesses. I can type 70 words a minute. I’m licensed to operate heavy equipment.”
“Actually, your Class “C” license and your PUC Permit were revoked for notorious and constant non-use,” the MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist said sadly.
Roland Harris fell silent and pondered his predicament. With all his skills and his intelligence, he always figured he’d be able to adapt to anything and succeed. Even the rise of the Neo Confederacy of Dunces.
“How about if I wrote fiction based on my adventures,” Roland Harris said matter-of-factly, “there must be some money and interest in that.”
The MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist chuckled and shook her head, “A lot has happened since you went into your coma. No one reads, let alone reads fiction. People are only interested in Reality-based entertainment, preferably on a hand-held device with crystal clear audio, high-end graphics and slickly produced selfie-stick videos. Of course, if you were a celebrity or even better, a recovered drug-addict celebrity, you could write your memoir, maybe even a best seller publishing your poems. I don’t mean to offend you, but no one knows who you are, so there will be no interest.”
Roland Harris looked at the clock and knew his time was up in more ways than one. He rose and headed out the MAHA-assigned Vocational Therapist’s office. Turning, he made one last point,
“I’m quite disappointed, I have a long record of accomplishment.”
“Yes, yes you do,” the MAHA -assigned Vocational Therapist said as she crossed the room to close the door, “but I must tell you what I tell every retired Boomer whining about their, ‘earned benefits,’ “what has always been of importance in our society is, what have you done lately?”
© 2026 by Justice Putnam
and Mechanisches-Strophe Verlagswesen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the story of a Catholic nun being detained by ICE circulated in the state of Texas, several Congress members intervened to bring her home. The Root: How a Texas Nun Headed to Worship Became the Latest Face of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Catholic nun walking to Sunday Mass in a religious habit became the latest face of America’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained her in South Texas before releasing her hours later following intervention from members of Congress.
Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja was headed to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, when ICE agents stopped and detained her Sunday, according to church officials. At the time of her detention, parish leaders asked congregants to pray for her safety and called for a “swift and just” resolution.
By Sunday evening, that resolution came.
Her detention immediately sparked outrage because it appeared to contradict repeated claims from the Trump administration that immigration enforcement is focused primarily on violent criminals. Instead, critics pointed to the image of a nun being stopped while walking to church as another example of how expanded immigration crackdowns are sweeping up people who pose no apparent public safety threat.
Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez called the incident evidence of “hyperaggressive” immigration policies, while Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz said immigration enforcement should prioritize dangerous offenders–not a nun headed to worship.
As Ugboaja’s story began circulating online, lawmakers, including Rep. De La Cruz, said they contacted the Department of Homeland Security to intervene. Church officials later confirmed that the nun had returned home and thanked elected officials for acting quickly.
In a statement, Brenda Riojas, a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, wrote, “We are grateful for the quick response of local representatives who reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to get her released from custody.”
Federal immigration officials had not publicly explained why she was detained.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rev. Barber calls for an urgent moral crusade against a political movement using faith to mask injustice. The Root: Rev. Barber: Christian Nationalism Has Infiltrated the Black Church
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the rise of Christian Nationalism, the work of the Black Church is more vital than ever, according to Bishop William J. Barber.
Barber, the president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, believes that the time is now for the Black Church to reclaim its “prophetic voice.”
To spotlight the ever-growing influence of Christian Nationalism in conservative politics, Barber is bringing his prophetic message directly to the Trump administration and MAGA Christianity with “Moral Mondays” demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
Since June 5, Barber has led a diverse coalition of interfaith leaders, civil rights advocates, and low-wage workers who are actively countering what Barber calls “policy violence.” Each Monday, clergy gather outside the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Capitol, as a “visible public witness.”
For Barber, confronting Christian nationalism underscores a foundational truth in his theology: the Black Church must “remain fiercely and unapologetically socially engaged.” He warns that turning inward only or focusing solely on personal salvation leaves communities defenseless against oppressive systems.
“We have too many congregations having praise parties like nothing is wrong. And they think that doing social justice is having a Martin Luther King program once a year,” Barber told The Root. “There’s no consistent teaching and action around the issues of justice, mercy, and love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HBCUs are especially vulnerable because they enroll large numbers of students whose families depend on federal aid and Parent PLUS or Grad PLUS loans. NewsOne: Your Child Got Into College, But Trump’s New Student Loan Rules Could Decide Whether They Can Stay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starting today, July 1, Donald Trump’s student loan overhaul takes effect and will eliminate or restrict how much students and parents can borrow for college, and push them toward risky private loans or being priced out of college altogether.
The changes, which are buried inside Trump’s so-called “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” signed into law last July, place tighter caps on Parent PLUS loans, narrow repayment options, and eliminate Grad PLUS loans for some future graduate and professional students. That all might sound like boring policy, but for Black families especially, it could turn into a more devastating kitchen table crisis: your child gets into college, receives some financial aid, and still cannot afford to go.
And while all universities may feel the squeeze, except maybe those with slavery-era endowments, HBCUs are especially vulnerable because they enroll large numbers of students whose families depend on federal aid and Parent PLUS or Grad PLUS loans. If that money disappears or gets capped, this will trigger what colleges call “summer melt.” This means students who planned to attend college never actually make it to campus because HBCUs don’t have the institutional wealth of predominantly white colleges to quietly cover thousands of students’ unpaid balances.
Nationally, about 10 to 20% of college-intending students fail to enroll in the fall, and the rates are higher for low-income students who often don’t understand financial aid letters or realize too late that the money is not there. If colleges see steep declines in student enrollments, this could lead to staff cuts, faculty lines disappearing, and whole programs being eliminated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
