Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Urban League Declares 'State of Emergency' Over Federal Civil Rights Rollbacks

Documenting widespread dismantling of antidiscrimination enforcement through agency cuts, the report urges a nationwide legal response.

FILE - Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y. speaks during a Community Town Hall on Feb. 22, 2017, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Marc Morial, center, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League, talks with reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, July 8, 2021, following a meeting with President Joe Biden and leadership of top civil rights organizations. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - Rep. Steve Horsford, D-Nev., speaks before President Joe Biden at the Vote to Live Action Fund's 2024 Prosperity Summit in Las Vegas, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Image

Overview

  • The report details systematic dismantling of federal civil rights protections through agency cuts and program rollbacks under President Trump.
  • It singles out the Justice Department’s refocused Civil Rights Division as an existential threat to enforcement of antidiscrimination laws.
  • The Urban League condemns major employers’ reversals of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and criticizes social media platforms for censoring Black voices while enabling extremist content.
  • The analysis links Project 2025’s conservative blueprint to federal workforce reductions, tougher immigration enforcement, and restrictions on mail-in ballots and early voting.
  • It calls for a “new resistance” of coordinated legal challenges and expanded voter mobilization in state and local elections to defend civil rights gains.