Black Lawmakers Blast USDA For Cancelling HBCU Scholarship Via Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Order

By Sherelle Burt

Reps. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL) are calling out the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for abruptly canceling the 1890 Scholars Program, a key initiative that supported HBCU students in the agricultural fields since the early 90s.

After the agency eliminated the program due to the anti-DEI executive order signed by President Donald Trump, Adams, a North Carolina A&T State University alumnus, released a statement condemning the decision.

“It is infuriating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the 1890 Scholars Program ‘pending further review,” Adams said. “This is a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture, and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day.”

Established through a partnership with USDA and 1890 land-grant universities in 1992, the 1890 Scholars Program successfully heightened educational and career opportunities for HBCU students with a scholarship that covers tuition in full, fees, books, and room and board for students seeking degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and more. Scholarship recipients also gained prominent work experience at the agency.

Adams is calling for USDA to reverse its decision and reinstate the program as the deadline of March 1 draws near with anticipating students hoping to apply.

“This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it,” Adams, a senior House Committee on Agriculture member, said.

Jackson, who shares an alma mater with Adams, called out the agency for its thoughtless view of the program.

“Suspending the 1890 Scholars Program is nothing short of an attack on opportunity. This program isn’t just about scholarships—it’s about ensuring that Black students have a clear pathway to careers in agriculture, food safety, and environmental science,” Jackson wrote in a statement. “Pulling the plug on these students is not just cruel; it’s calculated and unacceptable.”

In 2024, 94 scholarships were given out by USDA through the 1890 program, with 19 participating schools, including Florida A&M University, Alabama A&M University, South Carolina, and Kentucky State University. With the program’s future up in the air, students who have already applied for the scholarship are left waiting for a response from USDA.

“Cutting it now sends a dangerous message that equity and opportunity no longer matter,” Jackson added. “I won’t stand by while this administration tries to erase decades of hard-fought progress. The USDA must restore the 1890 Scholars Program now—because every student deserves the chance to succeed, and America’s future depends on it.”