After the progress made during the Civil Rights era, Black Americans finally believed they could achieve the American dream that was available only for white Americans. Advancements in education, civil rights and increased homeownership were proof that Black folks were slowly but surely moving on up in the nation. But within a single year, practically all of this progress was put on pause when President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
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Now, Black Americans are about twice as likely to say say that the American dream was never possible, according to a Pew Research study. And can you really blame them? Outside of ongoing inflation, a shaky job market and growing political tension in the country, Black Americans are still struggling to cope with an administration set on reverting back to the past. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mantra has spooked Black people around the country. Now, in his second term, the president’s version of the American dream not only looks different than the one previously advertised, but like a nightmare for us.
Overruling State With Credit Reports Protections
The Trump administration has taken the first steps to reverse Biden-era regulations giving states ultimate control over what gets counted on credit reports, AP News reported. As it stands now, individual states have the right to exempt medical debt and other debts from being included– notably states like Delaware and New York. Under Trump, however, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has drafted an interpretative rule to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, taking away power from the states. If everything goes according to Trump’s plan, millions of Americans– disproportionately Black Americans— will be impacted.
Rolling Back Segregation Protections
In March, the General Services Administration sent a public memo to explain the federal government will no longer prohibit contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms or water fountains. The memo read, “When issuing new solicitations or contracts do not include any of the following provisions and clauses… Prohibition of segregated facilities.” The language doesn’t explicitly permit segregation from making a comeback… but it surely doesn’t prevent it.
Sending in the National Guard
The Trump administration continues to act on its proclaimed deportation mandate. And part of this is sending the National Guard into cities to arrest undocumented migrants and restore law and order. Instead, however, ICE and Guard agents have been accused of kidnapping American citizens, ignoring the rights of residents and violating the Constitution, we previously told you.
Trump Targeting Black Women
First, Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles, despite Mayor Karen Bass’ disapproval. Then, he took the Guard to Washington, D.C., which was met with a lawsuit from Mayor Muriel Bowser. Outside of being Democrats, Bass and Bowser are both Black women, but this isn’t the first or last time Trump has made Black women a target. He and N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James are currently entangled in a legal battle after the administration accused her of fraud. From going after Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook to pulling former Vice President Kamala Harris’ security detail, risking her safety, the president has a tendency of going after Black women in the Democratic party.
Hud Rolling Back Civil Rights Protections
For nearly 60 years, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud) used the 1968 Fair Housing Act to bring lawsuits against discriminatory realtors, lenders and landlords. But now, the president has quietly ordered the rolling back of the practice, citing anti-discrimination cases are “not a priority,” whistleblowers told the New York Times. The move has caused major tension in the department– hence why anonymous whistleblowers are speaking out against it. In truth, the rollback is yet another example of Trump trying to reverse precedents set during the civil rights era.
Birthright Citizenship
Generations after the 14th Amendment was added to the historic legislation, the Trump administration now argues birthright citizenship is not Constitutional. By definition, a person born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen. Folks like former Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and even Bruce Lee have their citizenship under this Amendment. As part of his January storm of executive orders, Trump attacked the 14th Amendment, and months later, he is still fighting to get it removed. On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to lift temporary blocks against Trump’s order– meaning the president is just one step closer to his wish being granted, according to NPR.
Getting Rid of DEI
On day one of his second term, Trump signed an order to end diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) programs in all federal departments and agencies. His order also detailed plans to compile a list targeting all federal contractors and grantees with DEI programs, according to the White House. In response, companies nation-wide like Target and Amazon have rescinded their previous DEI campaigns. In turn, there have been drastic decreases in their profits.
‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill Act” passed in Congress back in July. The Republican-led spending act promised tax cuts for the wealthy, bold attacks to Medicaid and Pell Grant recipients and hits to SNAP benefits. The nearly 1,000-page long bill struggled in both the House and Senate, receiving bipartisan criticism for its added $4 trillion to the national debt. Critics argued the bill disregards the needs and wants of regular Americans while prioritizing the rich and white.
Pause on SNAP Benefits
SNAP benefits are expected to end for nearly 42 million Americans on Nov. 1 amid the federal shutdown. Without it, millions of children will go hungry. And this is on top of the already 1.4 million federal employees who aren’t receiving paychecks due to the shutdown. Nov. 1 will mark the first time in U.S. history that SNAP benefits will be cut off without emergency assistance from the government. The last time food stamps were at risk was ironically in 2018 under Trump. He eventually tapped into emergency funds to keep millions of SNAP recipients from starving. This time, however, he refused, Reuters reported.
Rolling Back on Climate Change Legislation
On his very first day in office, Trump rescinded several Biden-era initiatives aimed at addressing growing climate change concerns pushing for clean energy, making its development more difficult and expensive. And as the racial gap widens, Black communities will continue to be devastated by harsh weather conditions. Black Americans are at greater risk of experiencing natural disasters because of concentrated populations in extreme weather environments, like in Black cities like St. Louis and Houston, according to McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility.
Trump’s Immigration Gold Card
The president launched his $5 million “Trump card,” which offers permanent residency to wealthy migrants for a whopping $5 million investment, we told you. “Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,” Trump said on Truth Social. “FOR FIVE MILLION $DOLLARS, THE TRUMP CARD IS COMING.” In a country founded on the backs of immigrants, who came over with practically nothing to their name, Trump’s gold card is a complete 180 turnaround from the core values of America.
Quietly Rewriting History
In efforts to purge all diversity in the government, the Trump administration faced backlash after Civil Rights icon and former Brooklyn Dodgers’ player Jackie Robinson’s military service was erased from the Department of Defense database, according to ESPN. The Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen and the Marines at Iwo Jima were also among the president’s erasure of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Although the move was ultimately reversed, this shady attempt to rewrite history drew bipartisan criticism.
Suspending $19 Million HBCU Scholarship
Remember in February when Trump’s national spending freeze left billions of dollars in allocated funds suspended in the air? Well, while most folks were worried about food stamps, Medicaid and FEMA funding, our HBCUs were dealing with the harsh consequences of the blitz. The federal government suspended a scholarship program giving $19 million to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), according to AL.com. The 1890 Scholarship Program allowed lower income students to chase their educations goals at their dream HBCUs. Shortly after, a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the program.
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