Scholars and program leaders described a rapid contraction of Black‑studies programs this week after state laws and administrative moves stripped funding and curricular designations. Columbia University convened an emergency forum to catalog closures and program pauses, citing actions in Texas, Florida, and Kentucky that removed course designations or paused doctoral training in Pan‑African and related disciplines. Those moves come alongside federal executive actions targeting DEI programs; a recent appeals‑court decision has left two Trump anti‑DEI orders standing for now. Faculty and civil‑rights advocates warned that legal and political pressures are reshaping curricular offerings, research funding, and the survival of area studies programs at public and private campuses.