As Black History Month comes to a close, the celebrations and acknowledgements have felt less vibrant and more reserved. It is whiplash inducing to witness how quickly the outcry of public, corporate, and political support for racial equality quickly reverted to misinformation, dog whistling, and hate, especially after January 20.
Since Inauguration Day, when executive orders to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) began raining down, a wave of fear has now hushed federal employees and even corporate behemoths. From workplaces retreating from DEI commitments to federal agencies banning identity-based observances, all throughout Black History Month no less, the signals are clear—our collective progress, which has been decades in the making, is under attack.
Around a week ago, President Donald Trump marked Black History Month at the White House by making an appearance at a reception. Yet during his speech, he made no mention of his anti-DEI policies that directly impacted those in the room with him. He never brought up the number of federal agencies that have banned celebrations related to MLK Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, and other "special observances" to comply with his administration's directives. There was no mention of his recent fearmongering, insinuating the cause of a tragic plane crash over the Potomac was the fault of DEI. The threats to pull federal funding from schools over DEI programs were also oddly omitted. He was silent about the major corporations like Target, Walmart, and McDonald's that have scaled back or completely dismantled their DEI efforts under political-driven pressures. There was no comment on how Black History Month no longer exists on Google Calendars or how the U.S. Defense Department issued guidance declaring "identity months dead."
Black communities have carved paths forward, not just for themselves, but for democracy at large.
"Today, we pay tribute to the generations of Black legends, champions, warriors, and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness. And you really are great, great people," Trump said confidently.
But how can you truly pay tribute to these Black legends when you instruct others to rewrite, water down, or ignore their history of fighting against discrimination and racism? When you deny their life's work from continuing by dismantling the programs they helped build to better this nation? When you block opportunities to those from their community?
To deny our nation's businesses and institutions from providing DEI initiatives is to deny the progress that arose from centuries of resilience and resistance. And it's a willful act of revisionism to erase the stories, contributions, and sacrifices of Black Americans.
Slavery, segregation, and racism are not histories that should be kept secret; their impacts are still present and like any problem, cannot be solved by being ignored. America has never been a land of racial harmony. But it can never be one if we continue to believe that the best way to move beyond the legacies of racial hatred is to ignore them.
That is why DEI is so crucial to protect. It's a framework that ensures we acknowledge the truths of our history, fostering workplaces and educational systems that reflect the rich, multicultural fabric of our nation. Charles Chesnutt once wrote, "There is plenty of room for us all." This simple truth still holds. Acknowledging the painful complexities of our past does not diminish, it enriches—it creates space for all of us to grow together.
But instead of planting seeds for growth, many are burying their heads in the sand. The result? We see companies abruptly ending DEI programs, massive job cuts for diversity officers, and a national dialogue dominated by fear of "cancel culture" rather than confronting systemic inequities. This is emblematic of a broader issue—a culture that prioritizes comfort and status quo over change and discomfort.
To those retreating from DEI efforts, I ask—were you ever truly committed to them in the first place? At the heart of DEI is a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about race, gender, disability, and other issues that our country and its institutions have tried to erase through discrimination and violence. Abandoning DEI measures thus means abandoning your colleagues, your students, your community members.
"The last administration tried to reduce all of American history to a single year, 1619. But under our administration, we honor the indispensable role Black Americans have always played in the immortal cause of another day, 1776," Trump said at the event. "We like 1776."
But this is just another example of ignoring history to better serve your own narrative. There would not be America's founding in 1776 if it were not for 1619 and the Black lives that built this nation. Black history began on this continent before America was even established as a country, and we can not rewrite that truth.
While there have been attempts to quell the excitement surrounding Black History Month, our resolve has never been more steadfast. The fight for DEI is a fight for democracy itself. This is not a story of retreat. It's merely another chapter in a grander story of resistance.
Black history is not solely about celebration; it's a living testament to resistance tethered to the pursuit of democratic ideals. Black communities have carved paths forward, not just for themselves, but for democracy at large. When we resist unconstitutional actions, racism, transphobia, homophobia, and sexism, we do so not just for ourselves but for the affirmative vision of what the world
should look like. And that takes work. Hard work that cannot be accomplished by ignoring our history and the problems at hand. To retreat now, to claim ignorance or to ignore the issues would be a disservice to the shoulders we stand on and the generations that will come after us.
They cannot erase the history that has carried us this far, and they cannot silence our calls for equality. We persist.
