From his 2024 campaign to the Jan. 20 inauguration and recent decisions, President Donald Trump and his administration have never made it a secret that they are against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Executive Order 14151, signed the day Trump was sworn in for a second term, mandated the removal of DEI-related content from government websites and federal programs. In March, this sweeping order resulted in the removal of historically significant figures, most notably World War II veteran and civil rights icon Medgar Evers, from the educational and Black history sections of the Arlington National Cemetery website.
Recently, and almost to the date of the 62nd anniversary of his assassination on June 12, 1963, Pentagon leaders announced plans to possibly rename the U.S. Navy ship Medgar Evers.
The ship is one of eight Navy vessels named after freedom fighters, including Harriet Tubman, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Cesar Chavez.
According to Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth, this move is part of a concentrated effort to remove “wokeness” in the military and reestablish “warrior ethos.”
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi condemned the move as “a disgrace” and “a choice,” not a mistake.
Evers, the first field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi, was a soldier who fought at Normandy and returned to champion the civil rights struggle at significant personal risk. He embodied American ideals of service and sacrifice.
Congressman Thompson is right. Removing him specifically amplifies the harmful intent: an effort to sanitize public history of contributions by people of color.
“Renaming the USNS Medgar Evers is not only malicious, it is despicable,” said Evers’ daughter, Reena Evers-Everette. “As my mother said, this is an injustice to a man who fought for his country both at home and abroad.”
This move reveals a pattern of Trump: honoring African Americans’ contributions when politically advantageous, but neglecting their ideals to advance his anti-DEI agenda.
During his inauguration on the same day of the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump honored the fallen civil rights martyr. Yet, many modern activists note his pushback against DEI and work to eliminate parts of Black history is in direct contrast to King’s principles.
In addition, he called Evers a “great American hero” at the 2017 opening of the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, however, his administration’s latest move devalues the Mississippi leader’s work more than six decades after he was killed in the name of freedom.
By removing Evers, the administration isn’t just erasing a name; it’s undermining remembrance and respect for Black Americans’ role in shaping the nation.
As the nation celebrates Juneteenth and beyond, all Americans — not just African Americans — must speak out against this intentional erasure of Black history and figures who fought for the values of freedom, justice and equity for all.