On January 20, 2025, President Trump rescinded multiple Biden administration executive orders expressing the federal government’s commitment to racial equity and racial justice. Collectively, the EOs listed below acknowledged the contributions Black, Hispanic, AANHPI and Native Americans have made to this country and proposed ways the government can address systemic barriers to equity, opportunity and justice for these communities. Policy goals included expanding language access to government benefits and services, responding to the rise in racial hate crimes, support for improved data disaggregation, and fulfilling the federal government’s commitment to further Tribal sovereignty. These EOs also sought to strengthen the government’s partnership with and support of HBCUs, HSIs and TCUs as invaluable service providers, employers and repositories of cultural history.
Trump’s action rescinds any national acknowledgement of the value of this nation’s racial diversity and commitment to address systemic inequities.
Rescinded EOs include:
Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government)
Executive Order 14031 of May 28, 2021 (Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders)
Executive Order 14045 of September 13, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics)
Executive Order 14049 of October 11, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities)
Executive Order 14089 of December 13, 2022 (Establishing the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States)
Executive Order 14091 of February 16, 2023 (Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government)
Executive Order 14124 of July 17, 2024 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions)