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On Monday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the country’s 47th president. Monday is also Martin Luther King Day, a time when the nation recalls the unfinished work of the slain civil rights leader.
On past Martin Luther King Days, we’ve recalled and celebrated Rev. King’s tireless pursuit of equity and urged more action to make his dream a reality. This year, however, we fear that progress toward greater equity in America will not only be stalled, but will likely move backward.
Trump has promised quick action on a variety of fronts, including taxes, trade policy and federal regulations. Policy changes and actions that Trump has pledged in these and other areas are likely to have a disproportionate impact on people of color.
Take federal regulations, for example. Trump has loosely pledged to reduce environmental regulations under the guise of freeing industry from needless rules. This will likely mean more toxic pollution, and the negative health consequences that come with it, for people of color and low-income communities.
Here’s why: Because of generations of discriminatory housing and lending practices, the average net wealth of Black families is just a tiny fraction of that of white families. These practices, known as redlining, also have led to persistent disparities that go well beyond economics. Industrial facilities were more likely to be located near redlined neighborhoods, raising the risk of contamination and pollution for their residents. As one consequence of this division, Black Americans have a shorter life expectancy than their white peers and they are more likely to have chronic diseases.
Reducing federal air and water quality regulations will likely worsen such disparities.
Tariffs, which would be imposed on goods imported to the U.S. by a host of countries, including China, Mexico and Canada, are a centerpiece of Trump’s economic vision. Scores of economists have warned that such tariffs, and the likely retaliatory action from targeting countries, will raise prices on goods sold in America while depressing employment in this country.
Higher consumer prices and job losses disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color, where the unemployment rate is already higher than it is for white Americans.
Trump has pledged to extend tax cuts, enacted in 2017, that have largely benefitted wealthy Americans. Under those tax changes, the average tax cut for a white American household is more than double that for a Black or Latino one, in part because white households earn more.
Trump also has pledged or supported changes in social policies that are likely to directly harm people of color. He supported the diminishment of affirmative action programs, made possible by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that Trump cheered, which has already resulted in fewer Black students on college campuses. And his hostility to so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, and support for restricting the teaching of American history that includes our country’s racist policies and practices only further impedes our nation’s efforts to confront hard truths together.
On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to be a president for all Americans. One way he can make good on that promise is to make sure that all eligible Americans can exercise their right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, a cornerstone of civil rights progress, has been significantly eroded in recent years, including under the first Trump administration. Trump — and Congress — could surprisingly change course to help reinvigorate this landmark civil rights law, and reverse the dispiriting turn that has made voter discrimination more possible.
These trends toward more disparities and more discrimination should concern all Americans. They are also a reminder that as federal civil rights and equality protections may be rolled back, state laws can be strengthened to ensure all members of our communities are treated fairly and with dignity.
As King said: “The arc of justice is long but it bends toward justice.” We all have a role to play in bending that arc toward, not away from, justice.