Trump’s Anti-Black Actions Spark Calls for Resistance and Unity

One year ago this week, after a majority of voters returned President Donald Trump to the Oval Office, Black America began steeling itself for the sequel no one wanted and everyone feared. The dreadful previews had been nonstop: Trump’s unabashedly racist campaign rhetoric, his promise to deploy U.S. troops to American “inner cities,” the ominous shadow of Project 2025.

Black leaders nationwide sounded the all-hands alarm, and the resistance to Trump 2.0, in the form of lawsuits and protests, began to take shape. But the dizzying speed of Trump’s actions — and his tidal wave of assaults on the Black community — has been damn near overwhelming.

Anti-Black Blitz

It began, fast and heavy, on Inauguration Day, when Trump issued a flurry of executive orders rolling back civil rights protections, scrubbing Black history from national parks and museums, and gutting the Department of Education. He pivoted to the mass firing of civil servants, sacking a host of Black bureaucrats — including the first Black Librarian of Congress and the National Labor Relations Board’s first Black woman — in the process. And he kept going.

Trump dismissed the Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, oversaw an exodus of more than 300,000 Black women from the workforce, and punished elite colleges and law firms that embraced diversity programs. He strong-armed red states into erasing Black congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, and he dragged his feet on emergency funding for SNAP and Head Start, anti-poverty programs that ran out of money during the government shutdown.

Three Simple Questions

Given all that, it’s an open question what the Black resistance should do now — or if it can stop Trump at all. A spate of off-year elections on Tuesday, however, brought hope: the Democrats’ blue wave, a clear repudiation of the president, was powered in part by Black voters and swept several Black politicians into office, including Detroit’s first Black woman mayor. Still, less than a year into his second go-round, Black America’s pushback to Trump is far from over.

Back in January, we at Word In Black spoke with some of the sharpest minds in Black America, asking how to resist what they believed was coming. Then we checked in on how they would assess Trump’s first 100 days. Now, on the first anniversary of Trump’s election, we asked folks three basic questions:

• Have your expectations about a Trump presidency changed since last year?
• What should resistance to his agenda look like going forward?
• How can Black people survive this moment?

Here are their responses, lightly edited for length and context.

Jennifer Taylor-Skinner

Founder & Host
The Electorette

I wasn’t someone who watched [Trump] on the campaign trail and thought that the things that he promised were hyperbole. I knew that he meant what he said, and I knew that he’d do the things that he said he’d do, and there were things that he didn’t say that he was going to do. I also knew that those things would be just as bad as the things that he revealed.

There are a lot of clichés about what Black resistance should look like, and I think it’s been romanticized in photos and in images and in documentaries over the years. And a lot of those images often depict Black people putting our bodies on the line. The expectation that we are always in harm’s way — the expectation that we aren’t truly resisting unless we’re being brutalized — that really bothers me. There are a lot of examples throughout history where Black people have been very creative and crafty about their resistance,

One of my favorite examples is of Ida B. Wells and her anti-lynching campaign. When it was falling on deaf ears, she took her anti-lynching campaign to the world stage, and she spoke before other nations to let other countries know what was happening inside America’s borders, and she effectively shamed the U.S. We really need to read the biographies and the stories of our ancestors and really study the ways that they were able to get through some of the worst times in American history.

Shavone Arlene Bradley

President & CEO
National Council of Negro Women 

We’re focusing right now on our “core four”: economics, healthcare, education, and social justice. For econ specifically, we are now working on three terms.

One, we’re going to be announcing our launch to get Black women back to work. The second thing is Project Rise. We’ve had over 1,100 women sign up just for a class to understand how to save your money in this economy.

Then, activating corporate leadership as well. Our plan is to push back heavily with policy and with legislative leadership. Our other goal is to get back on the streets and in the ground and activate on [Capitol Hill]. And in districts — 2025 and 2026 —  elections are our priority.

Ras Baraka

Mayor
Newark, New Jersey

Our worst fears (about Trump) are coming true. He’s been attacking Black people — specifically, attacking Black history, Black figures, Black people in museums, Black literature, Black art, making it difficult for people of color to go to school, to go to college, to get an education, to get jobs.

Three hundred thousand or more African American women have lost their jobs because of [him]. The Supreme Court is basically giving him carte blanche to do whatever it is that he wants to do, moving this country more and more towards authoritarianism. So it’s a very scary time, and I think the next couple of years are going to be very trying.

You can’t resist extremism with moderation. So this idea that we need to go along and keep our heads down and wait this out is the wrong answer. Our response should be a collective one, and that we should use this as an opportunity to build a movement, a national movement, and at the same time become more and more progressive about the things we ask for. Black people in this country have endured this kind of thing since we stepped foot on this soil.

People always say this is the worst time in history. I disagree. This is just our time.

Jotaka Eaddy

Founder
Win With Black Women

I think we continue to do what we started five years ago, working one, to speak out against racism and sexism anywhere is hurled against a Black women, any sector. Two: working in our personal capacities to elect Black women up and down the ballot. We believe that representation absolutely matters. And third, working to lift up the collective power and image of Black women, and particularly that of Black women-led organizations. And that’s what we have been doing for the last five years, and we’ll continue to do that — bringing Black women together.

We firmly believe that when Black women are connected — when we see each other, when we lift each other up — we all can win. And when Black women win, we believe America wins.

Brandon Scott

Mayor
Baltimore, Maryland 

My views [on Trump] haven’t changed, but my expectations have. I hoped this administration would keep building on the progress cities like mine made on public safety and democracy, but instead, they’re working to tear it all down. I knew something like Project 2025 was coming — I just didn’t think it would happen this fast. The pace has been staggering.

We have to fight back on every front: in the courts, at the ballot box, in our communities, and in the streets. Local and state leaders — the people closest to the ground — have to be out front, because they’re the ones folks trust. This can’t be a top-down fight; it has to come from everywhere at once.

It’s like the civil rights movement — coordinated action across every level. But now, our rights can be erased overnight. People are losing food and healthcare while public money goes to vanity projects. Our priorities are upside down.

We’re in a race against time, especially with courts threatening Black representation. We can’t rely on this Supreme Court. So we have to think strategically about power — where we live, where we vote, and how we build.

Black people have always been under attack in this country, but we survive through unity and purpose. Our wealth, our leadership, our media — they all have to work together. We’ve got to tell our own stories, invest in our own communities, and fight for each other. All hands on deck. No time for ego or infighting — we move forward together, or not at all.”

Alexis McGill Johnson

President & CEO
Planned Parenthood 

Donald Trump has left little to the imagination as to who he is, as we expected. Not even a full year into his presidency, we are halfway through Project 2025, and we are finding ourselves on the front lines of fascism, front lines of tyranny. This president doesn’t care about Americans. He cares about himself, and that means that our most fundamental freedoms are under existential threat.

That is the antidote to authoritarianism: everyday people showing up and saying that they want to live in a democracy.

Black people, listen up: We know what this looks like. This is not the first time authoritarian tools have been used on our bodies and on our lives. This is not the first time the state has tried to control our freedoms, our rights, our movements, our speech, our culture. So we know that the only way for us to get through this is to continue to do exactly what we’ve always done: show up in our values, in our community. Do the work. Be unafraid, undeterred, unstoppable. We have never, ever backed down from a fight. So why would we start now?

LaTosha Brown

Founder
Black Voters Matter 

There’s a part of me that wants to say we warned people. Actually, I am gonna say it: we told y’all. We said that Project 2025 was a blueprint of a racist policy, and we’re seeing each element of that policy coming to fruition.

We’re seeing the brazen overreach of power and the weaponization of the Department of Justice to go after Black women leaders like Attorney General Letitia James, who is just doing her job — sisters like Lisa Cook at the Federal Reserve Board — just because of who she is. We’re seeing the rollback of civil rights wins, the consolidation of power, and the abuse of power across all three branches of government. And what we’re witnessing right now is racism on steroids and the rise of political violence.

What we need to do in this moment comes down to a few things. We got to prepare, push, and protest. We’ve got to patronize strategically, and we’ve got to pivot. So what do I mean? First, we need to prepare. We cannot afford to be unprepared. We have to prepare our families and our communities. We got to prepare for upcoming elections next year. That’ll be critical by making sure that we’re registered to vote and make sure that all of our family members are registered to vote.

And most importantly, we got to push back against this culture of fear that wants us to be paralyzed and feel a sense of hopelessness, and make us forget that we have collective power. You know, third, we’ve got to think strategically about who we patronize in this moment. It is critical that we use not just our political power, but also our economic power and cultural power.

Brandon Jessup

Deputy Director of Data Analytics & Movement Technology
State Voices

The speed and scale of the country’s shift toward authoritarianism are staggering. We’re living in a radically different moment than just a few years ago, and vigilance is essential. Yet amid the fear and fatigue, a fire has been lit — millions are finding hope and purpose in collective action.

Communities are stepping up as government safety nets fray: neighbors forming mutual-aid networks, organizers fighting to preserve healthcare and food access, local leaders launching food banks and grassroots campaigns. These efforts show that solidarity and resilience are the foundation of our survival.

People are exhausted, but rest itself is part of resistance. We can’t meet this moment without sustained energy, resources, and care for one another. The movement must balance urgency with endurance.

Across the nation, new leaders are emerging, and even those once divided are realizing how much they share. The fight is not just political — it’s moral and communal.

If we stay focused, if we collaborate and resist together, we become more than just a movement. We become a revolution rooted in hope, love, and shared purpose — proof that even in the face of oppression, collective action remains our greatest power.

Dr. Mustafa Ali

Activist & Poet

I’m reminded of the words of James Baldwin when he once said, “I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.” We have seen voting rights under attack. We have also seen diversity, equity, and inclusion be demonized and then eliminated. We have seen environmental justice be destroyed.

We have communities across our country that continue to breathe toxic air and drink dangerous water. We have seen the attacks on education, because they understand that once we have the information and once we have the knowledge, then there’s also an increase in the expectation.

We gonna organize, strategize, mobilize, and energize. We gonna take it old school and new school. We gonna organize like Frederick and Harriet, Martin and Fannie Lou. We gonna make sure that we are working with our community organizations, our churches, our divine nine, our barbershops, and our beauty salons.

We gonna bring forward the lessons from the grassroots movements, like the Black Panther Party, the environmental justice movement, and Black Lives Matter movement. We gonna strategize on a plan that supports and uplifts the Black community, making sure that we are no longer funding our own oppression. We will make sure that we mobilize on the ground.

Like the Underground Railroad, we’re gonna create networks around the country that help to make sure that our folks have the information they need to make the best choices for themselves.

Sebastian Stewart-Johnson

Founder
Black Menaces

We live in a moment where Donald Trump is using all political power possible to target the most vulnerable. Those who don’t have access to money and access to education, access to healthcare before the presidency of Donald Trump. One thing that we could not perfectly guess is the countless amount of people who would capitulate to Donald Trump during his presidency.

The resistance to Donald Trump has to be one fueled by progressive policies. Despite not being able to deliver what they need, he spoke to what they wanted. He spoke to white nationalism. He spoke to xenophobia. He spoke to patriarchy. He spoke to queerphobia. He spoke to hatred. Now, if we want to beat Donald Trump, we have to speak to something greater than hatred. We have to speak to hope.

Black people, we survive this moment by supporting each other and by not using our money, our resources, our time, or our energy in defense or in support of any person, system, or company who does not prioritize us. We shall not spend our money with corporations who do not defend or support Black people. We shall not use our money to support a business who orders bombs to Congo, Sudan, or Israel. Black people, we survive this moment through community. At the end of the day, we need each other, and if we have each other, we’ll fight back, we’ll boycott, and we’ll do what’s necessary

Dr. Bahia Cross Overton

Educator & Psychologist
Founder, Black Parent Initiative

My goal and my job, I feel personally, is to consistently speak truth to power. Speak truth in rooms where the truth is not present. Share with people and not shame people into understanding the stakes and who’s impacted by those stakes. And that’s all of us. None of us are immune to the impact of what’s happening.

So when I think about Black people, this is the time to not have a scarcity mentality. It’s the time to patronize each other’s businesses, be champions of each other’s work, and research. To show up in spaces where people are being celebrated, and mostly just to beam love and light to every Black face that you see. Especially Black women. Black women are being targeted. It’s out of control how targeted we’re being right now. So it’s really important to hug the Black women in your life, beam some love and light to them, and let them know that you have their back throughout this trial.

I really hope that every Black person understands the struggle of other people of color is not a separate struggle than ours. If they’re coming for them, they’re coming for us. And so there is no us and them, it’s just us. And we’re all we got.

It’s really important to make it known what side of history we intend to be on. And it is the side of good and righteousness and justice. And I’m for anyone who’s for that. And I will stand along with them, and I will fight for that.

And in my own personal life, I will continue to just beam as much love and light as I can in the world. And hope that I get some of that beamed back upon me and my family.