As a Black American woman and an educator, I am compelled to examine the forces that led to Donald Trump’s 2024 victory and its impact on our increasingly multiracial democracy. Democracy—derived from the Greek word demokratia, meaning “rule by the people”—is now under attack. With a deep sense of historical awareness, moral clarity, and an unwavering commitment to justice, I must underscore that democracy, as we have long understood it, is not just a system of governance. Democracy is a promise: a promise that every voice matters, that justice is not reserved for the “few” or the privileged, and that freedom is not a selective right. In this moment, the promise is being rewritten and redefined in ways that exclude rather than include and that silence rather than empower.

Attacks on Diversity and Inclusion