By Gerren Keith Gaynor | Racial justice advocates descended on Capitol Hill to slam the Trump administration’s policies that they say are an “attack on the Black economy,” as Black Americans see rising unemployment and disproportionate impacts of America’s affordability crisis.
“The state of the Black economy is under attack,” said U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who hosted a press conference on Wednesday with coalition groups, including the NAACP, Color of Change, the National Urban League, and The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
“We are plagued by an economic crisis that is a direct result of Trump’s reckless financial policies that are precisely targeting Black communities who already carry the weight of systemic economic harm and now suffer from the daily impact of this affordability crisis felt from grocery stores to the housing market to the gas pump,” said Pressley.
The Wednesday press conference, where participants held up signs that read “Stop Silenceing Black Voices” and “Cut Costs. Not Jobs,” came as Black Americans are reeling from a 7.3% Black unemployment rate, a persistent racial wealth gap, and a myriad of economic barriers for Black workers and Black-owned businesses.
Critics of President Donald Trump say his historic cuts to the federal workforce, an anti-DEI agenda, and rollbacks of civil rights enforcement are directly and deliberately harming the Black economy.
“Black families across this country are being told to believe in an economy they cannot feel,” said Nadine Smith, president and CEO of Color of Change.
“There are a few things you cannot lie to Black people about. You cannot lie to us about money. You cannot lie to us about our grocery bills. You cannot lie to us about rent, about layoffs,” said Smith. “You cannot tell us the economy is strong when our families are deciding between medicine, food, gas, and keeping the lights on. The numbers confirm what we are already experiencing.”
Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, highlighted a report by his organization that warns of signs of a Black recession.
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‘Give a damn!’ Rep. Ayanna Pressley, advocates call out Trump’s attacks on the Black economy