“No justice, no peace” — Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder: on May 25, 2020, Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for nearly 10 minutes during an arrest, despite his repeated pleas of “I can’t breathe.”

See The Blueprint: Skip the shallow media loops and watch BFA Originals live on YouTube.

Good morning, BFA Fam! Ceasefire Over? U.S. forces just launched “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, hitting missile sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz while peace talks continue in Qatar. Officials say the ceasefire still stands, but explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Jask have the region asking one question…. for how long?

MAIN STORY

🔥 The NAACP Boycott Exposes Black America’s Ownership Problem

⚡ THE SPARK

The NAACP is calling on Black athletes to boycott certain Southern schools over attacks on Black voting power. That sounds dramatic until you ask the harder question: what other lever does Black America really have that powerful institutions would feel immediately? Because if a group doesn’t own enough banks, media empires, tech pipelines, political machines, or billion-dollar industries, it has to use the leverage it does have. And in America, one of the few places where Black absence would be instantly noticed is sports. Not because Black athletes should have to save us.

Because their value is undeniable.

🧠 THE LAYER BELOW

This story is not really about college football. It is about power, ownership, and the uncomfortable reality that Black culture often drives the machine without controlling it. Black America has influence everywhere, but concentrated leverage in fewer places than people like to admit.

Black talent powers industries Black people often don’t own.
We shape music, sports, fashion, language, entertainment, and internet culture. But shaping culture is not the same as controlling the platforms, leagues, schools, networks, labels, and corporations that profit from it. That is why this boycott hits a nerve. It forces the country to look at the gap between Black visibility and Black ownership.
Sports becomes political because sports is where Black leverage is obvious.
In college football and basketball, Black athletes are not symbolic. They are the product. The stadiums, TV deals, ticket sales, booster money, and school pride all depend on the labor and star power of young athletes, many of them Black. So when the NAACP says “walk away,” it is not just making a moral statement. It is pointing at one of the few pressure points powerful institutions actually understand.
The burden is still unfair.
There is something uncomfortable about asking 18- and 19-year-old athletes to carry voting rights battles on their backs. Black athletes already carry injury risk, family pressure, media scrutiny, and the expectations of entire communities. But the fact that they are being asked to act says something bigger: America has left Black people with too few ownership-based weapons, so the few areas of leverage we do have become battlegrounds.

🎯 THE REAL QUESTION

What does it say about America that Black athletes have more leverage than many Black institutions?

🔮 WHAT’S NEXT

The NAACP boycott may work, or it may not. But the reaction to it already proves the point: Black talent has power when it moves together. The bigger lesson is not that athletes should save Black America. The lesson is that Black America needs more places where our absence creates consequences. More ownership. More infrastructure. More platforms. More industries where we are not just the face, the labor, or the culture, but the decision-makers. Because influence is nice. But leverage is what makes power nervous.

CAST YOUR VOTE

Got thoughts? Don’t just vote and disappear. After you answer the poll, drop your real opinion in the “Additional Feedback” box on the next screen. We’ll anonymously feature some of the best responses in the community so your voice can actually be part of the conversation.

Crash Expert: “This Looks Like 1929” → 71,105 Diversifying Here

Mark Spitznagel, who made $1B in a single day during the 2015 flash crash, warned markets are mimicking 1929. Seems extreme but we did just see the worst quarter for the S&P since 2022.

So it’s not so surprising that Vanguard and Goldman Sachs forecasted 5% and 3% annual S&P returns respectively for 2024-2034.

Late last year, Apollo’s chief economist Torsten Slok put it this way: “expect zero in return in the S&P 500 over the coming decade.”

So, what’s something investors can actually do to diversify this week?

Almost no one knows this, but postwar and contemporary art appreciated 10.2% annually with near-zero correlation to equities from 1995–2025 overall.*

And sure… billionaires like Bezos can make headlines at auction, but what about the rest of us?

Masterworks makes it possible to invest in legendary artworks by Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more – without spending millions.

29 exits. Net annualized returns like 16.5%, 17.6%, and 17.8% on works held over 1 year+. $1.3 billion invested. 500+ offerings.*

Shares in new offerings can sell quickly but…

👉 My subscribers skip the waitlist.*

^{*According to Masterworks data. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. Important Reg A disclosures:}^{masterworks.com/cd}^.

THE FLIP SIDE

🫵🏾 Black Men Are Checking Out Of Politics; And Democrats Might Be Panicking. A new poll found that 1 in 4 young Black men in key battleground states are not committed to voting in the 2026 midterms, sending shockwaves through political circles already worried about declining turnout. Even more surprising? Many still believe voting matters, they just don’t feel meaningfully engaged by either party. Strategists say Black men are tired of being treated like automatic votes while their economic struggles, unemployment rates, and concerns get ignored until election season. With control of Congress on the line, both parties may finally be forced to confront a reality they’ve avoided for years: young Black men are no longer guaranteed politically. (The Grio)

📈 Keisha Lance Bottoms Just Made Georgia Political History. Keisha Lance Bottoms officially locked up the Democratic nomination for governor, putting Georgia one step closer to its first Democratic governor in nearly 30 years. Despite criticism over her time as Atlanta mayor, Bottoms crushed a crowded primary field outright, avoiding a runoff while Republicans head into a messy and expensive battle of their own. Now the focus shifts to whether Democrats can finally break the GOP’s grip on the governor’s mansion in one of America’s most politically watched states. Is Georgia really about to flip again? (Politico)

🎓 Seven Black Women Just Made Spelman History. Spelman College just shattered its own record after seven students graduated as co-valedictorians for the Class of 2026. Dubbed the “Spelman Seven,” the group represents future lawyers, doctors, executives, directors, and changemakers, and their emotional graduation moment is going viral for a reason. At a time when Black women continue to face attacks in politics, education, and corporate spaces, many online are calling this a powerful reminder of Black excellence, sisterhood, and legacy. One valedictorian even challenged future students to break their record. Could this become a defining Spelman moment for the next generation? (Black News)

😓 Black Politics Goes Full Revolution After Supreme Court Drops Nuclear Bomb. In a bombshell ruling that’s got everyone screaming “Jim Crow 2.0,” the Supreme Court just gutted the Voting Rights Act. Southern states are already redrawing maps to boot Black lawmakers out of Congress, straight-up Reconstruction-era revenge. The old guard, Sharpton, Clyburn, the Congressional Black Caucus, is officially washed. Their “stay loyal to Democrats no matter what” strategy just collapsed. Now a radical new “Double Front” plan is exploding: inside power players plus fiery outside street pressure, laser-focused on policy, not personalities. Forget “first Black this, first Black that.” New leaders like Justin Pearson and Ayanna Pressley want real fights, economic populism, multiparty chaos, and leaders who actually deliver. The old Black politics is over. Game on. (New Republic)

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Earth, Wind & Fire | Official Trailer | HBO

Questlove is bringing Earth, Wind & Fire’s legacy to HBO with a new documentary that looks beyond the hits and into the soul of one of music’s most influential groups. The first trailer features major voices like Barack and Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and H.E.R. breaking down the band’s cultural, spiritual, and musical impact. The film traces Earth, Wind & Fire from Maurice White’s vision to their decades-long run as architects of joy, funk, and Black excellence, before premiering at Tribeca and streaming on HBO Max June 7.

Know someone who would enjoy BFA Collective? Send them a copy! New to BFA Collective? Subscribe here.

What If They Walked Away?