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Will Equal Opportunity Become a Thing of the Past Under Trump?
Civil rights era infrastructure was undoubtedly compromised.
Will the principle of “equal opportunity” become a thing of the past in American society? After President Donald Trump signed several executive orders undermining civil rights protections, many are wondering just how far back conservatives are trying to take us. He also rescinded Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 executive order, ensuring equal employment opportunities for citizens. While those reading the tea leaves are not at all surprised, it’s fair to say the impact of this shift will be far-reaching. In short order, Trump has leaned into racist stereotypes to justify unraveling nearly sixty years of precedent.
In one executive order, for instance, Trump announced his administration’s plan for “restoring merit-based opportunity,” claiming that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs “threaten the safety of American men, women, and children.” This framing is misleading on a few levels. For one, the text assumes that diversity programs diminish the quality of workers. Far too many Americans buy into the racist narrative that Black people can’t possibly be as skilled as their White counterparts. It’s presumed that if they managed to achieve career success, they “didn’t earn it.” It’s like it never crossed their minds that someone could be Black and qualified. Or that racism blocks access to opportunities they would otherwise access. Finally, the executive order suggests America was once a meritocratic society. However, given that companies routinely deprived Black people of access to opportunities based on their skin color during Jim Crow, that’s not true.
While the debate over DEI often centers on efforts to hire and retain Black talent, racist stereotyping of this nature also impacts immigrants of color. In a recent sit down with Sean Hannity for Fox News, Trump said that when it comes to immigrants, “you can look at them and say ‘could be trouble,” suggesting that he could judge someone based on their appearance to determine whether they they would contribute to society or cause harm, which is quite literally impossible. It’s why authors urge readers not to judge a book by it’s cover. In Elie Mystal’s latest article in The Nation, he said that…
