Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been cornerstones of opportunity since 1837, when Cheyney University was founded to educate free Black students in trades and teaching. For the first time in U.S. history, there was a formal educational space created for Black people. This was a revolutionary idea in a country that had denied us education for over 400 years. HBCUs put the tools of advancement – education, civic participation, economic mobility – into Black hands and helped define a new vision for equity in America.
Today, HBCUs make up just 3% of colleges and universities nationwide but produce 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black lawyers. They remain critical pathways to success for Black and underrepresented students. Yet, in 2025, these pathways are being blocked.
The Trump administration’s war on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) isn’t abstract, it is a direct attack on the lives and futures of HBCU students like me.
DEI initiatives help close historical gaps in access to opportunities, combat systemic racism in hiring and education, and ensure that institutions like HBCUs receive critical funding for infrastructure, student programs, and access pipelines to top employers. In turn, HBCUs advance DEI goals by cultivating talent and leadership and facilitating opportunity among students who have historically been excluded from mainstream institutions and industries.
That progress is now under threat.
On his first day back in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs,” followed by EO 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” These directives dismantled federal DEI programs, ended government partnerships with DEI-focused organizations, and declared that continued engagement in DEI activities could cost institutions their federal funding.
Just days later, the U.S. Department of Education warned schools from K-12 through higher education to drop DEI programming or risk losing federal dollars. Soon after, the administration announced a proposal to cut $64 million in federal funding from Howard University – my school.
I’m a rising senior at Howard University and a first-generation student from the Historic West Side of Las Vegas. In my neighborhood, going to college, especially out of state, was rarely presented as a realistic option. Guidance counselors rarely mentioned HBCUs, and when they did, they were treated as a “Plan C.” However, when I discovered HBCUs on my own at a library event, it changed everything. I was captivated by the idea of an academic space created for Black students, where I could be seen as a person first, and not a token.
At Howard, I’ve found everything I dreamed of in a college: community, purpose, and an education that has prepared me to be a movement lawyer and community organizer. I’ve learned how to think critically about anti-racism, power, and history. I’ve been mentored by people who look like me and who are invested in my success. I’ve gained opportunities like internships, training, and guidance that I would not have had elsewhere.
Now, that access is under attack. The Executive Orders, combined with political pressure on private corporations, are closing doors that DEI initiatives opened. Entire departments within federal agencies that once supported students of color have been dismantled. Scholarships, internships, and job pipelines that were available because of a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion are vanishing.
This isn’t hypothetical. These rollbacks are already hurting students. In The Hilltop, Howard University’s student newspaper, fellow students described losing internships and programs due to Trump’s anti-DEI orders.
Ariel Green, a junior in computer information systems, lost her CIA immersion program, cancelled two days before it was set to start, because of federal contractors freezing programs deemed “illegal DEI.” Najla Hall, a sophomore psychology major, lost her internship with Target after they shuttered their inclusive design team.
Corporations like Walmart, Bank of America, Pepsi, Goldman Sachs, and even nonprofits like PBS have pulled back on DEI, halting scholarships and diversity hiring initiatives. These programs were vital bridges into industries that have historically excluded us.
Without funding, scholarship programs, internships, or inclusive hiring practices, students like me are left with fewer options. The promise of HBCUs to be engines of social mobility, equity, and diversity is being deliberately undermined. And it’s not just about jobs. My own dream of becoming a “Double Bison” by attending Howard Law School is now uncertain, as the university’s ability to offer financial aid and support is diminished.
When the federal government and private sector walk away from DEI, they are walking away from our futures. The rollbacks are not about restoring “merit”; they are about reversing the hard-fought gains of Black students who dared to believe they belonged.
The Trump administration’s assault on DEI is not just an ideological campaign, it is a structural, financial, and existential threat to Black students and HBCUs. It’s already cost us opportunities. And if this continues, it will cost us generations of progress.
HBCUs were built as spaces of liberation and access. For them to survive, we must fight to protect the values they represent – equity, inclusion, and justice. Our future depends on it.
