US leaders are erasing Black history. That threatens our future | Stacey Abrams and Esosa Osa

"Democracy flourishes when Black Americans advance. The evidence is clear: birthright citizenship, constitutional due process, anti-discrimination laws from education to housing to employment and equitable small business investments, are all byproducts of the systemic corrections known today as DEI. Yet, in recent years, DEI has been used as a smokescreen by cynical politicians and activists to roll back progress and consolidate power."

"The impact of these tactics is concrete and undeniable. Since the start of this year, Onyx Impact's research has found, 306,000 Black women have lost their jobs and $3.4bn in grant programs investing in Black communities has been slashed including $9.4m in sickle cell disease research, $42m in programs designed to address Black maternal mortality and $31m in cuts to address asthma rates and air pollution harming Black children."

Democracy flourishes when Black Americans advance through measures such as birthright citizenship, constitutional due process, anti-discrimination laws across education, housing, and employment, and equitable small business investments tied to DEI. DEI has been repurposed by cynical actors as a smokescreen to roll back progress and consolidate power. Key pathways to opportunity across classrooms, museums, boardrooms, and federal agencies face coordinated disinformation campaigns of erasure, distortion, and suppression. The damage is measurable: 306,000 Black women lost jobs and $3.4 billion in grants for Black communities were cut this year, including reductions for sickle cell research, Black maternal mortality programs, and interventions addressing asthma and air pollution harming Black children. Historical patterns show that attacks on Black progress reduce access and freedoms for many other oppressed communities.

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