National Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Leader, Melanie L. Campbell, Statement Opposing Trump Administration Anti-DEI Executive Actions
Washington, DC - Today, Melanie L. Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable issued the following statement after a Washington, D.C. emergency roundtable on DEI, co-hosted by the NCBCP, National Urban League and several other national civil rights and social justice organizations:
“Just days following the observance of Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and celebrating his indelible legacy, the current Administration is weaponizing his calls for equity and fairness through multiple executive actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives inside and outside of the federal government. It is a core American value that we should all have the right to be free and pursue a fulfilling life – an aspiration we’ve been striving to make reality for everyone in this country for hundreds of years. And there is clear consensus among Americans that we still have work to do in that endeavor, which is why 81 percent of the nation believes diversity initiatives are necessary.
"We won’t allow these misguided executive actions to roll back the hard-won progress Dr. King and numerous other leaders and foot soldiers died to secure. The communities the Trump Administration intends to harm with these unjust and immoral attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion will resist them with unity and resolve. The fight will be hard, but nothing has ever been easy for our communities in this country. We won’t go back to the days when we were excluded from accessing opportunities and fully participating in our democracy as a matter of course.
“Further, we have a right for our tax dollars to be invested in our communities, including supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government; and when you say you don’t want to invest in diversity, equity and inclusion, you’re saying you want to erase our existence. We will not be erased and we will not go back to a segregated society that denies our rights and freedoms based on our color and gender. Not on our watch.”
Melanie L. Campbell’s remarks at the Demand Diversity Roundtable are here.
Video recording of the full Demand Diversity Roundtable is available here.
About the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation is a leading organization dedicated to increasing Black civic engagement, political participation, and economic empowerment. Founded in 1976, the NCBCP’s mission is to create sustainable, impactful change by fostering inclusive and diverse leadership and policy advocacy that centers the needs of Black communities across the U.S.