Project 2025—good riddance.
That’s the sentiment many people share as they look back on a year defined by turbulence, loss, and policies that reshaped daily life in painful ways.
If only turning the page were that easy.
Economists, social forecasters, and scholars warn that the reverberations of 2025 will persist for the foreseeable future.
Still, amid the uncertainty, Black Houstonians are looking ahead with intention. When the Defender asked community members, leaders, and creators to describe their personal or organizational “Project 2026”—their vision for success in the coming year—they responded with focused hope.
First, a recap
For years, politicos, activists, and journalists warned the nation about what Project 2025 could mean. Much of the public shrugged, until reality arrived. After nearly a full year of its policies, the verdict is in: The damage is deep, widespread, and ongoing.
Congressman James Clyburn captured the gravity in October when he said, “Project 2025 is Jim Crow 2.0,” inflicting a kind of violence “reflective of what was going on after Reconstruction.”
Critics, many of whom were directly affected, point to militarized police flooding American cities; ICE detaining immigrants and even U.S. citizens, “80% of whom have been guilty of no crime”; sweeping DOGE cuts that funded tax breaks for the wealthy; SNAP rollbacks; and the purging of qualified Black people, women, and others under the pretense of eliminating “DEI hires.”
According to the World Economic Forum, Project 2025 policies accelerated economic uncertainty, supply chain vulnerabilities, racial/political polarization amplified by weaponized digital propaganda, rising workplace stress and burnout, and widening inequality driven by digital access disparities.
But while 2025’s fallout is real, Black Houston is not standing still.
Black Houston’s 2026 organizational goals
For many institutions, Project 2026 begins with recalibrating for resilience, creativity, and community power.
At The Luke Church, Pastor Dr. Timothy Sloan says 2026 marks the culmination of their “Season of Breakthrough.” But breakthrough, he emphasizes, “is not necessarily about having this multitude of success moments. It’s about seeing areas in your life shift from average to exceptional.”
The church aims to foster that shift at both the organizational and personal levels.
Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas, Ph.D. (District F) says her Project 2026 begins with a mandate she heard at the Congressional Black Caucus: Go home.
“For 2026, for Black Houstonians, we need to go home,” she says, meaning invest in the institutions that shaped and sustained the community: Faith centers, colleges, cultural anchors, and neighborhood-based organizations.
Thomas highlights three urgent priorities. First: mobilization.
“We must mobilize not just politically, but philanthropically and with our presence,” said Thomas, who is also a Prairie View A&M University professor.
Second: Affordability.
“Affordability is strangling many of us… seniors, young families, young professionals. They can’t afford rent, a mortgage, or to leave their family’s home,” shared Thomas.
“We [Black people] must mobilize not just politically, but philanthropically
Dr. Tiffany Thomas, Houston City Councilmember, District F
and with our presence.”
Third: Workforce readiness.
“Technology is changing. Over 300,000 Black women are unemployed. In 2026, I’m advocating for policies that ensure we not only have a place in the market, but can become entrepreneurial and self-reliant,” added Thomas.
At the Houston Area Urban League (HAUL), president and CEO Judson Robinson III frames Project 2026 as a story of adaptation.
“Since 2020, there’ve been lots of changes… And now we have an administration with a different point of view about diversity, equity, and inclusion,” stated Robinson. “Life will go on. We still have to make sure people buy homes, start businesses, get jobs, and kids get promoted.”
The work won’t change, he says—but the organizations must.
“It’s all about collaboration, conversation, and creation. Not doing things the way we’ve always done them,” said Robinson.
Black Houston’s 2026 personal goals
For many, Project 2026 is deeply personal.
Award-winning gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson strives for spiritual realignment amid a world in flux.
“According to my faith, there’s a phrase we say: peace that surpasses understanding. I want to know what that means… Now we have an opportunity to build on the real, to preserve it, to nurture it,” said Wilson. “Disillusionment is an opportunity to lay another strong, firm foundation on something that’s real.”
For Thomas, 2026 is about self-discovery through public service.
“I learned what I was able to do if I was willing to speak when my voice was shaking… I’m excited to continue my leadership journey,” shared Thomas.
Robinson is focused on relationships.
“At this stage of my life, it’s about making sure my relationships with friends, funders, and family go deeper,” he said.
Sloan says his personal Project 2026 centers on time.
“It’s been a season of growth, but I’m focusing on stewarding and managing time and transition… so my family can also experience breakthrough,” stated Sloan.
Others offered straightforward goals:
• Quiana Fisher: fight for “dignified and affordable housing for all.”
• Cori Howell: maximize savings and long-term investing.
• Jennifer Neal Clark: financial recovery and family reunion.
• Billie Jean: “Put education back in the hands of the people.”
• Artist Reginald Adams: “Inspire, empower, and build community through public art.”
Project 2026, then, is not a document. Rather, it’s a determination. It is Black Houston choosing vision over fear, collaboration over chaos, and real, grounded progress over the illusions of the past.
Suggestions for Black individuals & families in 2026
- Strengthen financial resilience through collective economics.
Join or form savings circles, investment clubs, or credit-building groups; prioritize supporting Black-owned banks and cooperatives to expand access to wealth-building tools. - Prioritize health—physical, mental, and spiritual—with intentional routines.
Lean on culturally rooted wellness practices (e.g., meditation, movement, faith communities, herbal/holistic traditions) and ensure regular screenings and preventive care. - Deepen community engagement and political participation.
Vote in all elections, local and national; stay informed about policies that impact Black communities; and engage in local advocacy, parent-teacher groups, or neighborhood associations. - Expand skill development for economic mobility.
Invest in training or upskilling in sectors growing in 2026 (AI-supported jobs, trades, healthcare, public administration, green technology), with an emphasis on certifications that lead to stable, transferable careers. - Strengthen family networks and intergenerational planning.
Document family assets and knowledge, create or update wills, establish college/technical-school savings strategies for children, and sustain bonds with elders who anchor cultural memory.
Suggestions for Black-led & Black-focused organizations in 2026
- Build strategic partnerships within and beyond the Black community.
Collaborate with other cultural, civic, philanthropic, and business entities to expand resources, secure grants, and increase political influence. - Invest in leadership development and internal capacity-building.
Train staff and volunteers in fundraising, digital organizing, storytelling, financial management, and data-tracking to strengthen operations and long-term stability. - Leverage technology for greater reach and efficiency.
Utilize AI-supported administrative tools, digital learning platforms, social-media storytelling, and online service delivery to scale impact and reduce costs. - Prioritize community-centered programming with measurable outcomes.
Focus on areas with the greatest need—youth enrichment, economic mobility, food security, public health support, and voter protection—and track results to attract funding and demonstrate impact. - Expand Black cultural and economic ecosystems.
Support Black-owned businesses, build cooperative economic models, invest in land stewardship and community development, and create shared spaces that amplify Black art, education, and enterprise.
