“A second Trump administration intends to abandon efforts to advance and legally defend affirmative action and DEI policies within military academies, federal minority contracting programs and other federal programs shown to open opportunities – as well as create inclusive education and workplace environments – unfairly denied to people of color, women and other marginalized groups … A second Trump administration would not only refuse to enforce civil rights regulations on behalf of individuals from historically marginalized groups but actively weaken these protections in housing, education, health care and other essential resources.” — Alexis Agathocleous, Kim Conway, ReNika Moore, ACLU
Less than 48 hours after Donald Trump once again became president of the United States, a historic coalition of civil and human rights leaders planned to gather to map out a strategy to defend equal opportunity.
The Demand Diversity Roundtable is a lively, rapid-fire discussion focusing on confronting the disinformation campaign to discredit diversity, equity and inclusion, exposing the myths used to divide communities, setting the record straight with facts and reaffirming participants’ unwavering commitment to justice, unity and the values that strengthen our nation.
Trump has vowed that on his first day in office, he will revoke President Joe Biden’s executive order on racial equity and pursue the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives both within the federal government and among private institutions. Project 2025, the policy blueprint Trump is expected to follow, calls for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to “investigate and prosecute all state and local governments, institutions of higher education, corporations and any other private employers” with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. It calls for references to “sexual orientation and gender identity” to be deleted from all federal rules, LGBTQ workplace discrimination protections to be sharply limited and a ban on transgender troops in the U.S. armed forces.
The Demand Diversity Roundtable represents a refusal to remain silent in the face of an unprecedented assault on DEI measures and a commitment to fostering unity, resilience and proactive leadership in defense of equal opportunity for all.
America’s strength lies in its diversity, and abandoning DEI would endanger the nation’s progress and future. While Trump professed to know nothing about Project 2025 during his campaign, as president-elect he has selected its authors and influencers for key roles in his administration. The agenda is alarmingly hostile to any measures it designates as “woke” – a term the “anti-woke” movement has defined as “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.” The movement holds that acknowledging discrimination is, in itself, discrimination.
Several organizations that have been designated hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center are among Project 2025’s advisory board, including Alliance Defending Freedom, infamous for restricting access to the abortion pill and support for anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and Center for Immigration Studies, known for providing a platform for racist writers and associating with white nationalists.
The incoming administration’s policies, aligned with frameworks like Project 2025, threaten to undermine principles of equal opportunity and roll back progress toward a multiracial democracy. The National Urban League and our co-conveners of the Demand Diversity Roundtable will resist these threats.
Marc Morial is National Urban League president and CEO