A memo from the General Services Administration lifted the prohibition of segregated facilities to comply with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February; however, the memo recently gained widespread attention, sparking controversy and concern across social media platforms.
The lift on the prohibition that was published on Feb. 15 does not necessarily mean that segregation is legal or undermines the Civil Rights Act. Instead, it does not require federal contractors to uphold anti-discrimination policies in restrooms, drinking fountains, and transportation.
However, there are still state and federal laws that require companies to comply with segregation and discrimination rules.
Social media users have clapped back in opposition to the executive order, suggesting it sends a clear message of racial intolerance and an attempt of regaining power and control from white people to Black people.
Ashley The Baroness, an influencer on TikTok with 102 thousand followers, spoke out in defense of the importance of Black and brown communities.
“A world without Black and brown people is coming because we’re divesting. And that’s what scares them. The loss of relevance. Without our culture, our labor, our innovation, our souls, what is America really,” she said.
This executive order is part of a larger initiative to roll back the government’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. DEI was initially created to help ensure fairness and equity in securing job opportunities that underserved or underrepresented communities would otherwise not have access to.
These executive orders have also applied to schools, both K-12 public education and higher education, as well as businesses and government agencies.
This executive order can potentially cause division among students by not legally requiring college and university facilities to be integrated.
Ashley Agyekum, a freshman environmental studies major from New Jersey, expressed her frustration over the executive order.
“I think this is a way to go back to making systematic racism stronger because how can we focus on ‘merit’ if we don’t focus on the lack of privilege? If we want to focus on merit, then we should start at the core and focus on education, ensuring it is equal for all,” she said.
Sarah Matthews, a former White House Deputy Press Secretary who briefly served under the Trump administration, spoke at Howard’s panel: The First 100 Days: Method or Madness, where she discussed the first 100 days of Trump’s second administration.
During the panel discussion with Mathew Steele and Olivia Troye, she explained Trump’s first term in office as “chaotic” as he was figuring out how the government worked and navigating his new role as president.
However, in his second term, he has increased the use of executive orders and agendas such as Project 2025, a political initiative designed to establish a more effective conservative government.
Matthews said the president has now taken steps to elect people in his second term administration who will agree with his policies and not challenge them to fulfill his agenda.
She suggested that this particular executive order was a move to “flood the zone” by releasing a mass amount of executive orders at once so that consumers focus on one or two notable ones and miss others that can potentially have a tremendous impact.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
