By Sarah Scott
The brutal purging of thousands of federal jobs by DOGE hurt Black workers, especially women, who benefited from these unionized positions. Other Trump measures have added to the devastation in Black employment.
As soon as he was inaugurated, Trump forced thousands of government employees out the door. Not only was this cruel, but it also harmed the Black working class and unions, threatening decades of hard-earned progress in public service. These cuts don’t just slash jobs; they weaken communities of color and wipe out opportunities for the next generation.
Civil service jobs have been crucial for African Americans. Their combination of union power and legal protections creates stability and a ladder into leadership roles, especially for Black women who otherwise face prejudice in nearly every sector. Before Trump, 18.6% of federal employees were Black, compared to 13% in general labor.
Starting with slavery, Black workers have been subjected to super-exploitation. The U.S. Civil Rights Movement fought for a foothold in government occupations as one way of combating this abuse. The first victory was in 1948 when President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9980 to desegregate the national workforce. It was a landmark, but bigotry remained. The real change came with Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made job discrimination illegal and gave workers the power to sue when bosses blocked hiring or promotions.
Now those gains are under attack.
The layoffs slashed 300,000 federal jobs, many unionized and held by African American women. At the Department of Education, a labor stronghold, 60 of 74 staff fired were Black. This is racist union-busting. Now, Trump is ordering agencies to terminate union contracts.
The administration is gutting one of the few workspaces that has been a lifeline for Black people, providing security and dignity. The message is unmistakable: federal service will no longer be a place where workers of color, women, or unions thrive.
Trump has also stripped diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language from policies and cheered on states dismantling affirmative action. This rollback began in the 1990s, when lawsuits hollowed out affirmative action in contracting and education. In 2023, the Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions outright. Trump is now exploiting that ruling to shred DEI — citing the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision on race-conscious admissions as justification for erasing diversity programs across government.
These actions reduce employment opportunities. They go hand in hand with tariffs that devastate low-wage industries where Black and immigrant workers are concentrated. Along with gutting assistance programs for the needy, they constitute a concerted attack on people of color.
Defend public services and their providers
Workers are resisting. They have rallied in hundreds of cities demanding their careers back. Numerous unions have filed lawsuits to block the shut-out of career staff. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) stepped up in 2025, holding a 1,000-strong convention in Orlando under the banner “Unbought, Unbowed, Unstoppable,” and reviving chapters to put Black workers on the front lines against Trump’s anti-union, anti-DEI agenda.
Grassroots organizations are part of the resistance: Black Workers for Justice in North Carolina, LELO in Seattle, a long-standing labor and immigrant rights organization, and The People’s Union USA, which advocates boycotts against corporations gutting DEI.
Revolutionary leadership can facilitate bringing together communities and labor unions. That’s why the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women are active in Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS). This multiracial caucus that unites rank-and-file unionists across trades is defending Black federal employees and mobilizing against racism and government cutbacks.
The lesson from history is clear. Truman did not issue Executive Order 9980 out of generosity; he acted under pressure. Congress did not pass Title VII because it wanted to; it was forced by mass protest. Every rung Black workers have climbed in federal service was nailed into place by organizing, and every step can be ripped loose if not defended.
Trump’s attacks prove reforms are fragile. Racism is not a glitch in capitalism — it’s one of its engines, dating to its foundation. Those under attack must fight back through unions, mass action, and building a labor party — or watch hard-won rights and livelihoods stripped away. History shows that when Black workers rise, they lift the entire working class. That truth has never been more urgent.
