Statement from the Black Legacy Advancement Coalition (BLAC): Trump Administration’s Revocation of Civil Rights Protections Is a Direct Attack on Equity, Justice, and Progress
The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition (BLAC) condemns in the strongest terms the Trump Administration’s sweeping revocation of civil rights protections and diversity initiatives across federal agencies and contracting processes. These executive actions are not merely bureaucratic adjustments—they are a calculated dismantling of decades of progress toward equity and inclusion for marginalized communities.
The policies revoked, including Executive Orders addressing environmental justice, diversity in federal employment, affirmative action, and equal employment opportunity, have been critical in advancing fairness for Black Americans, other people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other historically underrepresented groups. These protections were never about special treatment, but about creating a level playing field in systems long entrenched in inequality.
Key Issues with the Revocation of These Protections
- Elimination of Environmental Justice Protections:Revoking Executive Order 12898 undermines efforts to address environmental injustice that disproportionately affects Black and low-income communities. By removing this framework, the federal government signals a willingness to ignore the systemic environmental racism that results in higher rates of pollution-related illnesses and reduced quality of life in our communities.
- Attack on Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce:Rescinding Executive Order 13583 and Executive Order 13672 strips away coordinated efforts to diversify the federal workforce and hold employers accountable for fostering inclusive workplaces. This regressive step disregards the evidence that diverse teams strengthen institutions and ensure fair representation for all Americans.
- Rollback of Affirmative Action for Federal Contractors:The decision to cease promoting diversity and affirmative action under Executive Order 11246 effectively removes accountability for federal contractors to address disparities in hiring, retention, and promotion. This leaves workers of color vulnerable to systemic discrimination while empowering corporations to ignore equity altogether.
- Erasure of DEI Initiatives Across the Board:By targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in federal contracting and grant-making, the administration is stifling our decades’ long, collective progress in combating racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequities. DEI initiatives are not divisive; they are bridges to fairness and opportunity.
The Consequences for Black Communities
These revocations perpetuate structural racism and inequity in every sphere of public life. They strip away safeguards that protect vulnerable communities from discrimination, widen the wealth gap, and reinforce barriers to equal opportunity. By declaring war on diversity and inclusion, the administration is reinforcing systems that privilege the powerful and silence the marginalized.
Our Call to Action
As a movement, we refuse to accept this assault on civil rights protections.
We urge:
- Congress to challenge these executive actions and restore critical protections through legislation.
- Corporations and Federal Contractors to uphold voluntary DEI initiatives, even in the absence of federal mandates.
- Community Leaders and Activists to mobilize and amplify the voices of those most affected by these rollbacks.
- The Public to recognize this for what it is: a direct threat to our shared values of equity, justice, and inclusion.
These policies are not only morally reprehensible but also antithetical to the principles of a democratic society. BLAC remains steadfast in our commitment to fight for policies that empower Black Americans and all marginalized communities. We call on every ally, advocate, and institution committed to justice to join us in resisting this dangerous step backward.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We reaffirm our service to the disenfranchised, to the weak and to the most vulnerable.
We will not stand by as the progress of decades is unraveled in a single stroke of the pen.
Committed in service to Black people everywhere,
The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition – Board of Directors