Trump's diversity rollback sparks civil rights outcry

Source: Axios

12 hours ago


National Urban League president Marc H. Morial on Wednesday called President Trump's executive order dismantling federal diversity and affirmative action practices "an assault on the Civil Rights Movement and everything we've achieved in the last 60 years."

Why it matters: Morial's comments came during a meeting of more than a dozen leaders — across racial, ethnic, and religious communities — gathered in D.C. to strategize a response just hours after Trump, fulfilling a campaign promise, moved against 60-year-old government guidelines designed to promote equity in hiring.

What they're saying: "We knew [Trump] was coming with it early, so we took a shot and planned the roundtable two days after the inauguration," Morial told Axios after the Demand Diversity Roundtable event at the National Press Club.

"It was important to make our statement early, and with as many leaders in the room as possible," he said.

Zoom out: Trump's order revoked one President Lyndon Johnson signed in 1965, more than two years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech at the nearby Lincoln Memorial.

LBJ's order gave the secretary of labor the authority to ensure equal opportunities for people of color and women in federal contractors' recruitment, hiring, training and other employment practices.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/01/23/trumps-diversity-rollback-sparks-civil-rights-outcry