A new analysis by the research nonprofit Onyx Impact documents the systematic undermining Black history, education, and economic opportunity by the Trump Administration.
The study, titled “Blackout: The Real-World Cost of Erasing, Distorting, and Suppressing Black Progress,” catalogs tens of thousands of examples in which federal agencies, state governments, and affiliated institutions allegedly eliminated or restricted access to data, funding, and programs that disproportionately benefit Black Americans.
According to the report, actions such as defunding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, removing public datasets on race and health disparities, and cutting federal support for environmental and public-health protections have broad consequences.
“When datasets on health, environment, and education disappear, so does the proof of historical harm and current disparities,” the report states.
Onyx Impact’s analysis links these rollbacks to real-world harms, including increased health risks and reduced disaster preparedness.
The report notes that Black children are 60% more likely to suffer from asthma and up to three times more likely to be hospitalized by reduced air-quality and public-health funding. Likewise, cuts to flood-prevention programs leave historically redlined Black neighborhoods more vulnerable to climate-driven disasters.
The organization warns that the framing of “anti-DEI” politics is being used as “a smokescreen” to dismantle factual records and accountability systems that safeguard equal opportunity.
“Black history is American history,” the report concludes. “This is not a culture war—it’s a power grab that threatens the integrity of the record, the fairness of opportunity, and the health of our democracy.”
The Trump administration has not responded directly to the report, but officials have defended their rollback of DEI and equity programs as efforts to curb what they describe as political bias in government policy.
Guest:
Kam Middlebrooks is the deputy director of Onyx Impact.
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This episode will be recorded on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
