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White House Sends Memo That Appears to Cancel Black History Month
During the presidential campaign, one of the Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris’ rallying cry was, “We are not going back,” and at times when a victory at the polls beckoned, a return to the days when Black Americans and other minorities were consistently marginalized seemed unlikely. But within the first two weeks of his second chance in the White House, Donald Trump has already dealt a crippling blow to decades-old civil rights legislation that provided equal access to employment for Black Americans. And now, it seems Black History Month is the next casualty.
The February-long celebration of the achievements of Black Americans has been caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion. A White House memo sent to federal employees states that agencies will “pause all activities and events related to Agency Special Emphasis Programs effective immediately and until further notice.” The memo lists Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride, Holocaust Day/Days of Remembrance, National Hispanic Heritage Month and National American Indian Heritage Month.
During a press conference, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American History and the contributions that all Americans – regardless of race, religion or creed – have made to our great country.”
Origins of Black History Month
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a historian and author, introduced the idea of recognizing the achievements of Black Americans in 1915 when he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History which is known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Through ASALH, Woodson established Negro History Week in February 1926, choosing February because it was the birthday month for Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. With a vast network of colleagues and friends, Woodson prompted Black History Week until it became nationally known.
In 1975, President Gerald Ford became the first president to share a message recognizing Black History Week. He urged all Americans to “recognize the important contribution made to our nation’s life and culture by black citizens.”
In 1986 Congress passed Public Law 99-244 which designated February 1986 as ‘National Black History Month.’ The law also directed the president to issue a proclamation calling on Americans to join the observation with festivities and celebrations. President Ronald Reagan, also a Republican, issued a proclamation, stating “the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity.”
It’s been 40 years since the first president embraced an invitation to applaud the accomplishments of Black Americans, and now a tradition honoring generations of Americans whose narrative includes enslavement, injustice and resilience on American soil may be erased.
An African American flight attendant died on American Eagle Flight 5342. Danasia Elder was one of the four Charlotte-based crew members who were killed when the plane collided with a Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport.
The 60 passengers on the flight were also killed in the crash, and the three servicemen on the helicopter also perished.
On social media, Elder’s colleagues remembered her as a “sweet” person. Her brother-in-law described her as “full of life” and love for God.
Rebecca Cavaliere posted on Facebook, “Danasia and I were in the same training class at PSA training group last year and got to work together several times. Please pray for her family, her young children and husband at this time.”
Cavaliere added, “You never think someone you know will be in a plane crash. I’ve worked flights into DCA many times and my brain can’t comprehend how this happened.
Investigators have spent the last 24 hours on the scene, searching for the victims and clues that will help them piece together what happened. A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report
said staffing at the air traffic control tower was “not normal” when the crash happened. According to the New York Times, the controller who was “handling helicopters in the airport’s vicinity on Wednesday night was also instructing planes that were landing and departing from its runways — jobs typically assigned to two different controllers.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered the two so-called black boxes from the plane — a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder. The two devices will be analyzed.
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