Urban League: Trump Hinders Black People’s Economic Progress

For many of us, the economy never really rebounded post-pandemic. The last several years have seen quarterly layoffs become commonplace, inflation outpacing wage growth, with the actions of the Trump administration only exacerbating the economic turmoil. A report from the National Urban League has found that the so-called American dream is out of reach for more Black Americans since the Civil Rights Movement. 

AP reports that the organization released its annual “State of Black America” report on Thursday, which featured contributions from U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Raphael Warnock as well as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. The report detailed how many of the issues facing Black Americans are being exacerbated by the federal government.

The report highlighted the Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. One of the first things President Donald Trump did upon taking office for his second term was sign an executive order banning what he dubbed “illegal DEI.” The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has walked back its historical mission of handling workplace discrimination cases, instead choosing to investigate companies for their DEI initiatives and “anti-white racism.” 

As you can expect, this has had a chilling effect on DEI initiatives, with several corporations and universities publicly announcing that they were shuttering their DEI departments and no longer implementing programs to help Black employees advance in the workplace. 

“This has been a campaign of coercion and oppression directed at these institutions who have been out here working hard to, if you will, change America,” Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, told AP. “The important thing about companies is that every company has not bent the knee. Some may have done some cosmetic changes. Some have been in full and complete retreat.” 

The report also warns that while Black people may be feeling the brunt of these economic headwinds, they also are a warning sign for working-class U.S. citizens on the whole.

“It may be the focus is us, but the impact is not just us,” Morial told AP. “While they have targeted and focused on Black Americans, these attacks are going to impact broadly working Americans, poor Americans, aspirational middle-class Americans, and this is what this report points to.” 

We’re already seeing signs of how the economic impact of the Trump administration’s policies is spreading far beyond just Black Americans. More and more people are going into credit card debt just to pay for groceries, as credit card delinquencies reach their highest level since the Great Recession. The changes the Trump administration has made to federal student loan payments have directly led to one in five borrowers defaulting on their loans.

The report doesn’t simply spell doom and gloom for Black America, but offers ideas to ensure the economic prospects for Black Americans aren’t tied to actions of the federal government. “The civil rights community must consolidate its legal resistance and turn courtroom wins into durable policy,” the report says. “The movement must build economic infrastructure that doesn’t depend on the goodwill of any one administration.”

It’s easy to feel like there’s nothing that can be done about the issues we’re facing, but Morial encourages Black people to remain optimistic in the face of adversity. “We cannot be dejected. We cannot be cynical. We must act,” Morial said. “We have to fight to make sure that those that are really trying to kill the essence of the American dream don’t win.”

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Black Unemployment Is Nearly Double The National Average

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