Civil Rights And Nonprofit Leaders Press Trump Administration For Answers On DEIA Ban

Civil rights organisations and nonprofits are supporting a letter signed by members of Congress that calls for transparency about the effects of the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI. In February, members of Congress demanded records highlighting the effects of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) rollbacks, according to a press release.

In the letter, lawmakers sought out information about how President Donald Trump’s actions affected the federal workforce.

“Your administration has slashed billions of dollars in DEIA-related funding, as well as jeopardised nearly $1 billion in life-saving National Institutes of Health research on heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, and substance use – grants threatened not because they are unworthy of research, but because they promoted equity,” it said in the letter.

Civil rights organizations supporting congress

More than 30 members of Congress signed the letter led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rep Jonathan Jackson (D-IL). 24 civil rights organisations and nonprofits have now shown their support for the letter, according to AFROTECH.

These organisations include: African American Policy Forum, Freedom Economy, American Association of University Women, Centre for Constitutional Rights, Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues, Community Equity Initiative, Equal Justice Society and Global Black Economic Forum.

“Freedom Economy is proud to stand with members of Congress in calling for transparency and accountability around executive orders that threaten diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility protections,” Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, board chair of Freedom Economy, said in the press release.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s letter about Black unemployment rates

This isn’t the only letter Pressley has written about the anti-DEI wave in the US. Last September, she urged Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to help address the needs of Black women affected by job loss.

“In August 2025, 6.7% of Black women faced unemployment, which is above the already high national average of 4.3%. This disparity should not go overlooked as unemployment of Black women is a key metric of the health of the US economy,” she said. Black Women’s unemployment rate has now reached 7.3% in 2026.

In the letter, Pressley highlighted the hard work of Black women. “Black women are more likely than any demographic group to be enrolled in higher education, represent the highest-growing group of entrepreneurs, and disproportionately serve as breadwinners for our families,” Pressley wrote, referring to data from the Centre for American Progress.

Image: AP Photo/Charles Krupa