When US President Donald Trump began dismantling federal agencies and removing civil servants earlier this year, many thought their position would be safe.Black women make up about 12% of the federal workforce, nearly double their share in the overall US labor force. For generations, federal jobs provided a path to the middle class for Black Americans who faced widespread discrimination in the private sector, the New York Times reported.After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal government aggressively pursued affirmative action and enforced anti-discrimination laws. These measures opened doors to stable careers, fairer pay, and advancement opportunities.Now, economists and advocates warn, those gains are being rolled back.
‘It was like being prosecuted’
Peggy Carr, a veteran of 35 years at the Department of Education, had risen to become commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the first Black woman to hold the post. Her career had stretched across six administrations, including Trump’s first term, earning her respect from Republicans and Democrats alike.Surely, she thought, her office, responsible for tracking the nation’s student achievement would not be considered, in Trump’s words, “divisive and harmful” or “woke.”But she was wrong. One February afternoon, a security guard appeared at her office just as she prepared to lead a staff meeting. Within minutes, her stunned colleagues watched in tears as she was escorted out of the building.“It was like being prosecuted in front of my family — my work family,” Carr recalled in an interview, the New York Times reported.“It was like I was being taken out like the trash, the only difference is I was being taken out the front door rather than the back door,” she added.Her dismissal was part of a sweeping drive by Trump to shrink the federal workforce. Tens of thousands have already lost their jobs under his approach. But experts say Black employees and Black women in particular, are bearing the brunt.
‘Reversing years of strides’ says White House
The White House defends Trump’s overhaul as necessary reform. In July, the Supreme Court cleared the way for mass dismissals across federal agencies.Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, framed the changes as part of a return to merit. “President Trump is ushering in an economy that will empower all Americans, just as it did during his first term,” Fields said.He stated that “the obsession with divisive DEI initiatives reverses years of strides toward genuine equality.” “The policies of the past that artificially bloated the public sector with wasteful jobs are over,” he noted.“The Trump administration is committed to advancing policies that improve the lives of all Americans,” he added. But labour economists paint a very different picture.
‘This is a stark warning’
Between February and July, Black women lost 319,000 jobs across the public and private sectors, according to an analysis by gender economist Katica Roy. They were the only major female demographic to experience steep losses during the five-month period.By contrast, white women gained 142,000 jobs, Hispanic women added 176,000, and white men saw the largest increase at 365,000.“Black women are the canaries in the coal mine, the exclusion happens to them first,” Roy said. “And if any other cohort thinks it’s not coming for them, they’re wrong. This is a warning, and it’s a stark one,” Roy added.The trend has extended beyond government jobs. With Trump’s vocal opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, many corporations have rolled back their DEI initiatives and eliminated related roles — positions where Black women were heavily represented.
Targeted cuts in key agencies
According to NYT, the Education Department, where Carr worked, was among the first agencies to feel the squeeze in Trump’s second term. More than a quarter of its workforce was Black women. In the initial wave of firings, dozens lost jobs, even those with no connection to DEI programs.Their only exposure to such initiatives came through trainings encouraged by their managers, including Trump’s former education secretary, Betsy DeVos.A report by the National Women’s Law Center, using Office of Personnel Management data later deleted from public records, found that the hardest-hit agencies were those employing high percentages of women and people of color. Independent agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also faced deep reductions.According to a New York Times analysis, agencies where minorities and women formed the majority, including the Department of Education and USAID, were targeted for either the largest workforce cuts or elimination. At the IRS, where Black women made up nearly a quarter of the workforce, reductions were also severe.Beyond the rank and file, Trump has also moved aggressively to remove high-profile Black leaders. Many have been disparaged by the administration as “incompetent,” “corrupt,” or DEI appointees.
