By Black Star News
Photos: Facebook
This Thursday, Aug. 28, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and his National Action Network, have announced a march on Wall Street, in New York, to protest Donald Trump’s attacks on DEI. The Wall Street march, which is taking place at a time when Trump is engaging in authoritarian attacks on Black-run cities, like Washington D.C., will feature a number of civil rights organizations, labor leaders, clergy, and politicians.
The march is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET in Foley Square, at Duane Street between Federal Plaza and Center Street, just across the street from the African Burial Ground.
“Donald Trump’s attacks on DEI were only the prelude, as he is now dangling threats to take over American cities led by Black mayors,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN. “If we leave him unchecked on DEI, if we do not get out and march, if we do not speak up, he will completely erase the freedoms our parents and our grandparents fought, bled, and died for. This Thursday, we will march from the African Burial Ground to the heart of the Financial District to remind Donald Trump the power of Black Americans and their dollars.”
The National Action Network points out that “In the hours after Trump was sworn into his second term, he signed an executive order demanding an end to DEI policies within the federal government. Those have since been followed by:
- Revoking Executive Order 11246. Signed by President Johnson nearly 60 years ago, this action required federal contractors to take affirmative action to prevent discrimination and ensure equal employment opportunity for protected groups such as race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
- Federal DEI Staff Actions. In tandem with revoking EO 11246, Trump put all federal employees working in DEI on paid leave almost immediately. To comply with Trump’s executive orders, several agencies including the Departments of Defense, Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, as well as NASA, eliminated their DEI and civil rights initiatives and guidance.
- Launching the DOJ Against DEI. Trump has used the Department of Justice to wither away at DEI, especially with the Civil Rights Division. Within just the first four months of Trump’s second term, an estimated 70% of the Division’s attorneys had either left or submitted their resignation. That came amid a flurry of memos in February from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who signaled the DOJ would bring civil rights cases against companies that implemented DEI policies.
- Banning DEI in AI. In July, Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to not procure large language models with DEI embedded into their programing.
- Removing Diversity in Foreign Service. In March, Trump demanded the State Department to scrub the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” Core Precept on tenures and promotion, as well as similar actions on Foreign Service recruitment.
- Canceling $783 Million in NIH Grants. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court narrowly approved the Trump administration’s canceling of hundreds of millions in National Institutes of Health grants linked to DEI.
- Withholding Education Funding. This spring, the Trump administration threatened to cut off federal funding to schools and colleges with DEI programs. A federal judge earlier this month halted that effort, writing that “regulation of speech cannot be done casually.”
- Pressuring the Private Sector to Drop DEI. Trump has lost a pressure campaign against Corporate America to follow suit and walk away from its billions of dollars in DEI commitments. That includes a highly scrutinized agreement with the law firm Paul Weiss to water down its DEI policies, while the FCC recently approved an $8 billion between Paramount and Skydance after the entities agreed to not implement any such programs.
- Pushing GOP-friendly Redistrictings. Trump has backed the highly criticized redistricting efforts to skew Congressional seats in states like Texas to favor the GOP. Megadonors including Charles Munger Jr., who have supported conservative causes, has supported the fight against a converse effort in California that would see the GOP lose its foothold in the state.
WHO
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President, NAN
Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, Drum Major Institute
The Honorable Al Green
The Honorable LaMonica McIver
Mayor Eric Adams
Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani
Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
NAACP New York State Conference
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)
National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
National Urban League (NUL)
UnidosUS
1199 SEIU
32BJ SEIU
AFGE
AFSCME
AFSCME District Council 37
AFSCME New Jersey
AFT
APRI
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), AFSCME
Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO
NEA
SEIU
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
WHEN
Thursday, August 28th, 2025
10 a.m. – March kickoff
WHERE
Kick Off:
Foley Square (Duane Street between Federal Plaza and Centre Street)
New York, NY
Rally:
Whitehall Street (between Bridge and Pearl Streets)
New York, NY
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