SPLC: Trump Rolls Back Six Decades of Workplace Discrimination Protections in Latest Effort to Dismantle Hard-Won Civil Rights Gains

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Yesterday, President Donald Trump launched a new assault on civil rights and efforts to combat workplace discrimination by signing an executive order rescinding Executive Order 11246, originally issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The order, in place for 60 years and upheld under 10 different presidents — both Republican and Democrat — prohibited federal contractors receiving taxpayer funds from discriminating against workers based on race, age, national origin, sex, religion and other protected categories. It also empowered the Department of Labor to enforce compliance with these protections.

This action comes just days after President Trump signed another executive order eliminating all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and staff across the federal government.

“For six decades, Executive Order 11246 was a vital safeguard against workplace discrimination,” said Margaret Huang, President and CEO, the Southern Poverty Law Center. “By rescinding this order, President Trump has eliminated a critical federal tool for preventing discrimination and will now permit taxpayer dollars to subsidize illegal hiring and discriminatory practices. This move attempts to take us backward, to a time when Black and Brown people, women, and other marginalized groups were denied opportunities based on who they were, not their qualifications. This is an invitation for more workplace discrimination and the further limitation of economic opportunity for these communities.

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965 was not born out of thin air—it was a necessary response to the widespread systemic discrimination faced by Blacks, women and other marginalized groups. In sharp contrast, this new executive order is little more than a hollow attempt to address fabricated concerns about DEI, while ignoring the real and persistent challenges of inequality that still exist in our society and especially in the workplace.

“At his inauguration, the President stated that his administration ‘will make [Dr. King’s] dream come true.’ Yet, this action, along with a series of anti-Black policies enacted during his first term and now, suggests otherwise.

“The rescinding of this executive order directly contradicts the values of equity and fairness that Dr. King and his allies fought and died for during the Civil Rights Movement. It does nothing to advance Dr. King’s vision or fulfill his dream.

“It is also important to remember that this executive order—though harmful—does not undo our nation’s anti-discrimination and civil rights laws. The SPLC will remain at the forefront of the fight to ensure that federal anti-discrimination laws are enforced and that no individual is denied access to opportunity or subjected to discrimination,” Huang concluded.

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