Leaders urge action in 2026: "We are on the brink of tyranny and authoritarianism"

"Zoom in: The second Demand Diversity Roundtable, convened by the National Urban League, on Thursday brought together more than 30 leaders not just to defend diversity, equity and inclusion - but to challenge what they describe as an authoritarian-style playbook that they argue is threatening civil rights enforcement, protest freedoms and fracturing democracy. What they're saying: Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, framed the moment as one defined by consequences rather than rhetoric. "This is not theoretical," Morial said. "It's showing up in paychecks and classrooms, in courtrooms and communities." "We are on the brink of tyranny and authoritarianism.""

"State of play: In year two, leaders said the impacts are showing up unevenly - and forcing responses at the state and local level. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said states are no longer waiting for federal intervention, describing litigation as a primary tool to challenge what he called increasingly racialized enforcement strategies by federal agencies. He pointed to recent ICE tactics in Chicago and police stops in Minneapolis as examples of how civil rights concerns are now surfacing at the local level - and landing in courtrooms."

"Asian American leaders at the roundtable said they are frequently left out of national civil rights strategy discussions - even as their communities face parallel impacts from immigration enforcement, education rollbacks and civil rights retrenchment."

More than 30 civil-rights and community leaders convened at the National Urban League roundtable to challenge an authoritarian-style playbook that they say threatens civil rights enforcement, protest freedoms and democratic norms. Leaders warned of concrete impacts—paychecks, classrooms, courtrooms and communities—and warned of creeping authoritarianism. States and localities are increasingly responding through litigation and independent enforcement, with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul citing ICE tactics in Chicago and police stops in Minneapolis as examples. Asian American leaders warned of exclusion from broader civil-rights strategy despite facing parallel harms from immigration enforcement, education rollbacks and retrenchment.

Read at Axios