Doors are open to new wave of discrimination in U.S.

By David W. Marshall
The Philadelphia Tribune
https://www.phillytrib.com/

The realities of our nation are harsh, but I truly hope young people, particularly those of color, are now watching and taking note. I understand the unfortunate realities we face. Despite the historic importance of the past presidential election, the reality of apathy is very real and dangerous.

We have a nation filled with young people of color who are simply turned off and disinterested in politics. Understandably, toxic and polarized politics can overwhelmingly affect people who simply want little or no part of it. According to data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab, nearly 90 million Americans eligible to vote in the 2024 presidential general election decided to stay home. Roughly 36% of the eligible voting-age population did not vote, which is greater than the number of people who voted for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

With apathy comes consequences. Making up the 90 million eligible voters may be White federal workers who felt that Project 2025 was not a threat to them but ultimately lost their jobs due to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firings. Many of the 90 million also consist of people of color who maintain a deep sense of hopelessness due to decades of disenfranchisement. With concerns about the country’s future, young people should take a renewed interest in the nation’s current events.

The race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was historic for several reasons. The reelection of Trump represents an unusual political comeback for a man who lost the last presidential election to Joe Biden. Despite the warnings surrounding Project 2025, along with the real threat of fascism, as a candidate, Trump distracted the majority of voters into ignoring the warnings and returning a convicted felon and authoritarian back into the White House.

The election was historic as it pitted a convicted felon against a former prosecutor, and the American voters picked the felon. When given the choice, America chose corruption and the type of discrimination that removes the racial and economic checks and balances that were previously in place to keep people of color protected. The checks and balances associated with the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act were implemented for specific reasons. We live in a society that will always be based on race and class; therefore, there is always the need for federal oversight in protecting the rights and safety of people of color. Remove the protection and then hate and discrimination flourish.

The controversy surrounding the 1876 presidential election led to the Compromise of 1877. To secure the presidency, Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South, which were stationed there to protect African-American voting rights. Federal troops were a means of protection and a system of checks and balances.

The troop removal led to the end of Reconstruction, allowed the return of white Southern political power, and led to the decline of African-American political power and the unfortunate rise of Jim Crow laws. The pushback eventually came in the form of federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as means of racial protection. Now, counter-pushback is occurring, and those two critical laws are being attacked. In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted section five of the Voting Rights Act.

In a 5-4 vote, the court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act, which required specific states and localities with a history of discrimination against minority voters to get changes in voting laws to be cleared by the federal government before they went into effect. The removal of section five emboldened lawmakers in Southern states, previously covered by law, to enact new voter ID laws, polling place closures, and other voter suppression restrictions. Fast forward to 2025, and the latest wave of executive orders is removing protections for people of color under the Civil Rights Act.

By requiring the government and the private sector to eliminate DEI safeguards, the door is wide open to a new wave of discrimination. The Trump administration is systematically bringing us back to a rigidly controlled society in which it is legal to do anything to hold back Blacks and to keep them in line. What type of future is in line for Black and brown teens and young adults living in 2025 who are unfamiliar with the segregation of 1950s Mississippi? Are they prepared to live in a society where talented Blacks are constantly told “Blacks Need Not Apply,” and it is supported by the federal government?

The Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) is an annual conference with a long-running partnership with the Army Recruiting Command. The Baltimore event has historically been a critical venue for the military to recruit highly qualified Black engineers and scientists. As a result of President Trump’s fight against diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Army and other military service branches are no longer seeking recruits from the conference.

The rejection of highly qualified applicants of color falls in line with the president’s plan to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion not only in the military but throughout all sections of the public and private sectors. In doing so, he is taking the nation back to a 1950s version of segregated Mississippi. It was a period of racial hatred where it was permissible to do anything to hold Blacks back and keep them in line.

I hope that young people of color do not get caught up in the battle of emotions when personally hit by heightened hate and discrimination. Staying focused on this administration’s real threat to their long-term professional futures and how to push back effectively is necessary. Young men and women of color are now faced with a growing obstacle that didn’t exist a year ago.

David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.