If you’re like me, you might’ve spent the last six months or so wondering what “Black jobs” are exactly, post President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration campaign rant in June 2024, when he claimed that Latinx people are taking employment opportunities away from African Americans.
While Trump warned of Hispanic communities threatening African American employment, the president signed an executive order his first day back in office, Jan. 20, eradicating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the federal government.
Yes, coming after DEI is far more widespread than African Americans, and includes women, minorities, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community and more. But, again, if you’re like me, you’re asking “Who’s after Black jobs now, Mr. President?”
But I digress.
As is our tradition every February, The Washington Informer is taking a cue from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) — the founders of Black History Month — to celebrate the contributions of African Americans across the District, nation and world. ASALH’s 2025 theme,” African Americans and Labor,” honors the legacy of Black labor — both forced and forged — that laid the foundation of this country’s economic, cultural and global influence.
It’s more than examining “Black jobs,” but examining how African Americans’ work, skills, craftsmanship, leadership and ingenuity have inspired economic booms, justice movements and societal shifts.
Enslaved Black people, from as early as the colonial period, “figuratively and literally built the foundation of the nation, including having built the U.S. Capitol and the White House,” according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).
“The lives and labor of enslaved African Americans transformed the United States into a world power. Yet they received no recognition or payment for what they created,” according to NMAAHC’s searchable museum, adding that by 1860, 4 million enslaved people produced more than 60% of the nation’s wealth.
Further, the slave trade valued Black bodies and labor at no less than $2.7 billion.
“Selling an enslaved person provided ready cash, explaining in part why roughly 600,000 people were sold in the domestic slave trade,” reveals NMAAHC’s online searchable museum. “This vast wealth, in human form, affected the entire nation.”
During and post-slavery, countless African Americans fought on front lines for equal rights in the workforce, education, health care and for all people— and these fights have been interconnected.
For instance, an equitable educational system, arguably, helps lead to more post-secondary opportunities — from college to vocational training or directly in the workplace. Further, a fair workforce and equal wages can close economic gaps and often make affording health care more realistic. However, it’s important to note that a systemic lack of access to nearby and affordable health care and strong educational environments can present challenges when entering the labor force.
For this reason, labor fights are justice fights, and, throughout history, have been key in African Americans combating racism and working toward justice for all.
“You have to join every other movement for the freedom of the people,” said labor leader and organizer Bayard Rustin, who famously planned and orchestrated the 1963 March on Washington.
Past Labor Movements, Leaders Offer Hope, Blueprint for Today
Despite continued challenges of systemic racism, leading to economic, educational and health disparities, African American labor activists — from A. Philip Randolph and Rustin, to local changemakers like Nannie Helen Burroughs and Geraldine Boykin— have helped Black workers earn respect, fair wages and equitable treatment.
As President Trump, in his second administration, begins to make good on campaign promises, there are more plans proposed that could be detrimental to Black Americans and all marginalized communities. For instance, Trump is working toward a federal funding freeze for programming related to: foreign aid, DEI, “woke” gender ideology and the “Green New Deal,” which focuses on the environment, until a review determines if the money supports causes that align with his new policies.
In the couple of weeks since the start of his second term, Trump already: reversed some of former President Joe Biden’s drug pricing initiatives, which, according to the American Journal of Managed Care, could affect Medicare costs; worked to revoke trans rights and gender-affirming identity and care; targeted immigrants for deportation; and blamed DEI for challenges in this country.
Known for his empowering words and speeches, Randolph — the great labor leader known for starting the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (the nation’s oldest Black labor union, celebrating 100 years this year) — once warned of those who slowly work to take away programs that benefit Black people.
“Look for the enemies of Medicare, of higher minimum wages, of Social Security, of federal aid to education and there you will find the enemy of the Negro, the coalition of Dixiecrats and reactionary Republicans that seek to dominate the Congress,” Randolph said.
Current attacks against DEI aren’t the first battle Black Americans have had to fight and overcome in labor and business.
This Black History Month, as the nation commemorates “African Americans and Labor,” we should look to national and local labor leaders like Randolph, to celebrate their work and continue their legacies. In addition, The Informer will examine labor movements that paved the way for equal rights in the workplace and beyond and use them as a blueprint to help with challenges today.
While the fight for racial equity has been long and continues, African American workers have showcased the beauty, boldness and brilliance of Black labor and the important role it plays in shaping United States culture and economy.
This Black History Month offers a moment to look back at those people who labored for change, and use past movements as inspiration to press forward toward progress and true justice for all.
“To struggle and battle,” said Burroughs, an educator and labor advocate, “and [to] overcome and absolutely defeat every force designed against us is the only way to achieve.”
