National Urban League President Marc Morial called out the Trump administration this week for what he characterized as a “systemic effort” to undermine Black American progress.
Morial made the comments in an exclusive interview with Black News & Views. In the interview, Morial underscored the need for not only voting but also staying engaged. His comments coincided with the civil rights organization’s release of its 49th annual “State of Black America” report.
“You can’t tell me you’re concerned, you can’t be angry, you can’t be upset, and then when elections come around, you give excuses for not voting,” Morial told BNV. “We’ve got to call out people in our own community. We’re surrendering our power.”
Morial continued, “Voting is not a magic bullet. You don’t vote and go sit down. We have to become much more active, much more involved. Go to the town hall meetings. Go to the redistricting meetings. Put that cell phone aside when you’re scrolling on Instagram and spend 50% of that time being active and involved in the community.” Morial says people must stop thinking of voting as transactional. “This is about what the community needs. You vote as a member of the community. You don’t just vote as an individual.”
This year’s “State of Black America” report outlines the ways civil rights are facing an unprecedented attack from the Trump administration and how leaders are fighting back.
“The notion that we are living through a ‘state of emergency’ is not rhetorical flourish. It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles – equality, liberty, and justice – rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation and deliver equitable opportunity for all,” according to the report.
The White House, reached by email on Friday, scoffed at the report and the stances of civil rights organizations in general.
“These so-called civil rights groups aren’t advancing anything but hate and division, while the president is focused on uniting our country, improving our economy, securing our borders, and establishing peace across the globe,” Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields said in an email to Black News & Views.
Morial’s comments and the National Urban League (NUL) report are among a series of push backs from the civil rights community against White House initiatives against diversity, equity, and inclusion and other issues related to racial justice. Earlier this year, leaders gathered in New York for a meeting of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network to discuss strategies for addressing some of the rollbacks. Earlier this week, the NAACP was in Charlotte for its annual meeting, which marked the first time it did not invite a sitting president to speak and meet with members.
In his interview, Morial criticized what he characterized as the administration’s “systemic effort to undermine the progress of the last 70 years, the assault on civil rights, the neutering of the Department of Justice as an agency designed to enforce civil rights, the shutdown of the Department of Education, and the ‘big ugly bill [Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’).” The legislation which was passed earlier this month cuts funds for Medicaid and nutrition assistance benefits for those who need them while giving tax cuts to the wealthy, among other actions.
This week, NUL’s annual convention is meeting in Cleveland. Leaders and community members will discuss ways to improve life for Black Americans.
In its seven-part outline, the report cites attacks on laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the efforts to undo protections to voting equity through legal challenges going back to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby v. Holder decision in 2013. It further accuses Trump of seeking to undo protections for civil and human rights through executive order and dismantling of federal agencies created to protect equal rights, and bypassing several lower court decisions since being sworn in.
Highlighted was the weaponization of labels such as “Woke” and “DEI” from online right-wing echo chambers and media such as Fox News.
The report also touches on the proliferation of mis and disinformation within mainstream and social media in recent years, as well as censorship of content creators on the left. It also criticizes companies such as META and X for allowing hate speech accounts to remain active.
“The rise of far-right narrative online — combined with the silencing of progressive voices and the collapse of digital safeguards — isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a democracy issue,” the report reads.
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Several lawsuits have been brought against the administration by attorneys general, governors, and civil rights groups. NUL joined with NAACP and Lambda Legal and several co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the administration’s actions against DEI for their direct impacts on the organizations’ abilities to provide critical services, such as HIV treatment, fair housing, employment opportunities, and more.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. CASA that lower federal courts cannot issue nationwide injunctions against the president’s executive orders. As a result, there has been discussion on the extent of legal power in blocking Trump’s agenda in court.
In response, Morial said that NUL and other legacy civil rights groups’ main strategy of bringing forth lawsuits has not changed, and he asserted that the decision does not eliminate class action suits, with multiple plaintiffs across states, a tool utilized by civil rights lawyers.
NUL has also implemented new structures within its operations with the creation of the Fair Budget Coalition and the Demand Diversity Roundtable, initiatives that convene civil rights leaders to create long-term legal defense strategies.
“The National Urban League was born for moments like this – when the stakes are high, and the path forward demands clarity, courage, and conviction,” the report reads.
In the final section, the report outlines the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as a continuation of the work that has always been done to combat systemic oppression against Black Americans and other marginalized groups.
“By expanding opportunities, ensuring equitable access to information, and creating leadership pipelines, DEI helps guarantee that every American-not just the privileged few, can contribute to the nation’s future,” the report indicates.
