President Trump rescinded the Biden administration’s Executive Order 14050 which identified systemic barriers that impede Black Americans’ opportunity to fully participate in American educational, economic and civic life on a level playing field. Its policy goals were directed toward ensuring equitable access to proven pathways to educational and economic mobility, covering high quality early childhood programs through postsecondary education and career pathways like registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning initiatives. EO 14050 specified how federal agencies would be responsible for collaboratively advancing equity and sought to improve data collection to support implementation of evidence-based strategies and to assess, evaluate and monitor progress toward meeting policy goals.
History has shown that a long-term commitment to intentional and targeted interventions is required to resolve long-standing systemic inequities in a sustained way. Recission of EO 14050 after less than four years is a step in the wrong direction and all but guarantees there will be no measurable progress toward advancing educational equity, excellence and economic opportunity for Black Americans over at least the next four years.