Erasing Black History: How the Trump Administration Is Undermining Juneteenth and DEI

On June 19th, the United States will observe Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery. This bill establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday was passed unanimously by the Senate and by the U.S. House of Representatives in a 415-14 vote, with only Republican dissent. But this year’s celebration is marred by the Trump administration’s assault on Black history and the very narratives that Juneteenth seeks to preserve and celebrate. During his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration have adopted Project 2025’s policy agenda that seeks to erase Black history under the guise of implementing anti-DEI executive orders. These actions completely contradict the meaning and significance of what Juneteenth is supposed to represent. 

Despite President Trump’s denials of any connection to Project 2025 during the 2024 campaign, the extreme 900-page conservative blueprint published by the Heritage Foundation has served as a roadmap for his administration’s systematic attack on Black history. An analysis by The Lever found that nearly two-thirds of Trump’s first slate of executive orders aligned with Project 2025’s recommendations, which explicitly called for eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from American life, abolishing DEI offices and personnel, and taking enforcement action against organizations that engage in DEI initiatives. These executive orders have often resulted in the removal of Black historical figures from government websites and more. 

The systematic erasure began almost immediately after President Trump’s inauguration, with a coordinated campaign across federal agencies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies and the revocation of Executive Order 11246, which forbade federal contractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This policy recommendation was also specifically suggested in Project 2025.

These executive orders have led to the widespread removal of celebrated African American figures from government websites, including the temporary deletion of Harriet Tubman from the National Park Service’s website. Jackie Robinson, the barrier-breaking baseball player and World War II veteran, was “mistakenly” removed from Department of Defense sites, while civil rights hero Medgar Evers, who was assassinated by a KKK member, disappeared from Arlington National Cemetery’s website honoring Black war veterans.

Furthermore, the Trump administration targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016 as the only national museum devoted exclusively to documenting African American life and contributions. Trump’s executive order accused the Smithsonian Institution of promoting “divisive, race-centered ideology” and narratives that “portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” This has resulted in multiple artifacts being removed from displays in museums. The administration has also purged military training materials featuring the Tuskegee Airmen, removed references to the oldest U.S. armory for Black militia from Virginia National Guard websites, and eliminated approximately 381 books on civil rights, racism, and African American experiences from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library. The systematic erasure has also extended to the U.S. Naval ships, which, according to internal documents obtained by CBS News, plan to rename naval ships currently honoring prominent Black leaders, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Harriet Tubman, and USNS Medgar Evers..

While some of these erasures have been restored, the Trump administration’s backpedaling has come on the heels of widespread backlash.

As we mark Juneteenth this year, Accountable.US is calling out the Trump administration’s attack on Black culture and history.