The Congressional Black Caucus and civil rights leaders on Wednesday expressed their outrage over President Donald Trump's policies that weaken minority rights and protections.
Marking Black History Month in Washington, the leaders said the Trump administration has made life worse for Black Americans.
"Black America is under attack," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. "The United States of America has been under attack by the failed policies of a failed President and sycophants in the Republican Party who continue to act like nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump's extreme agenda."
He noted how Black unemployment rate is up, Black homeownership rate is down, and healthcare is being ripped away from millions of Americans.
"What the hell does Black America have to lose under Donald Trump? The answer, clearly, is everything," he said.
Over the past year, the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to roll back civil rights, undermine voting access, dismantle social programs, and concentrate power in the hands of the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of minority communities, said U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke.
"The ongoing assaults on the diversity of our nation from the federal workforce and Black-led institutions to journalists, educators, and local leaders represents a direct attack on the values of our democracy," said Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. "Underlying it all is a clear truth. Donald Trump and Republicans understand that their path to maintaining the majority depends on weakening the collective voting strength of black communities through racially gerrymandering maps ahead of the upcoming midterm elections."
Trump signed multiple executive orders at the start of his second term banning the use of “illegal DEI” in government agencies, as well as organizations that interact with the federal government. The administration has pushed to alter how history is taught in museums, classrooms and other educational settings.
"This is about how this administration is using the tools we built as a Black community to assure that all of our people are protected against our very rights to be, and we will not be iced out," said Maya Wiley, the president chief executive officer of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and chief executive officer of the National Council of Negro Women, said the group will look to register one million new Black voters in 2026.
"Our plan is simple. Organize, mobilize, educate, and activate for this country's most consistent voting bloc, Black women and Black families," she said.
