By Marc H. Morial
TO BE EQUAL “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 to 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 gathered to plan a strategy to defend equal opportunity.
The Demand Diversity Roundtable convened at the National Press Club. A livestream of the event is available on NUL.org, Facebook, and YouTube.
The lively, rapid-fire, roundtable focused 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 vowed that on his first day in office, he would revoke President 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