Federal agencies now flag or avoid words like ‘Black’ and ‘racism’ to comply with Trump administration

As the Trump White House continues to transform the federal government to the will of President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement –particularly with issues like race, gender and sexuality — the new administration is literally eliminating or severely reducing the use of hundreds of words and concepts that have been targeted by Republicans for years.

A New York Times analysis of memos, federal agency guidances, and other documents found that since taking office on Jan. 20, certain words have been identified as needing to be removed from government websites or eliminated from connected materials. The Times reported that, in other cases, agencies sent out advisories to federal employees about how to institute certain terms without issuing an “outright ban.”

In an effort to comply with President Trump’s executive orders, like the order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and offices and another that reverses public recognition of transgender Americans, some terms were listed as part of an effort to “automatically flag” on grant proposals and contracts that may conflict with the orders, according to the New York Times.

Many of the words or terms being flagged relate to race, including “Black,” “anti-racism,” “antiracist,” “discrimination,” “diversity,” “bias” and “racial justice.” Other words or terms are connected to gender and sexuality, such as “feminism,” “non-binary,” and “gender-based violence.” The Trump administration has also reportedly targeted terms used in the health care industry like “health disparity” and “men who have sex with men” — terms intended to address inequities and specific social determinants in health for marginalized groups. In total, the New York Times analysis found that more than 5,000 web pages had been changed.

The removal or review of certain words, concepts, or phrases is not unique to the Trump administration. All administrations have discretion in directing communications through federal agencies and their public-facing entities. However, the latest actions from the Trump administration do signal a swift and dramatic shift intended to reframe the public narrative on certain social issues.

“The white supremacist agenda of the Trump regime has been laid bare once again,” said Angela Angel, senior advisor at Black Lives Matter PAC, in reaction to the recent Times report. Angel told theGrio that the Trump White House’s plan to “purge federal agencies of language” that acknowledge Black identities and their lived experiences is “not just an attack on words.” She added, “It’s the latest chapter in their ongoing war against Black liberation.”

The BLM leader said the “attacks” from the Trump administration, led by Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk, “reveal exactly which truths they’re desperate to silence and erase from public consciousness.” She continued, “From LGBTQ+ identities to climate justice to racial inequities, they systematically remove language that names reality. They can try to erase our words, but they cannot erase our resistance.”

Erica P. Loewe, former special assistant to President Joe Biden and White House chief of staff for public engagement, told theGrio, “We have to listen to both what they’re saying and not saying to determine their priorities and this administration has worked overtime to show us who and what they don’t care about.”

Alluding to the upcoming funding deadline to avert a federal shutdown, Loewe added, “I hope they work as hard to fund the government this week.”

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., told theGrio that as President Trump and his administration focus their aim on DEI and other diversity-related efforts, leaders must “find ways of cutting through that noise.” Lee explained, “We have to find ways of helping people to understand that by limiting the voices who are in spaces — corporate or public service or education or wherever it may be — that where we limit the capacity of Black folks, of brown folks, of immigrants, of women, to participate in our society, that we’re setting our entire society back.”

The 37-year-old congresswoman said Democrats and others opposing the Trump administration’s policies on race or related to other identity groups must remain “persistent.” Part of that includes being “honest about the shortcomings” of certain policies. For example, experts have long pointed out that white women have benefited most from DEI policies despite diversity and equity programs often being associated with Blacks and Latinos.

“What we want is not for the policy to be dismantled. We want them to be fixed. We want them to be honed,” said Lee. The progressive lawmaker said ultimately she believes Trump and Republicans will “eat their words.” She told theGrio, “If they say they care about global security, global competitiveness, they care about our country being the greatest, then they can’t do that without diversified people. We are here too.”

“This moment calls for more than petitions and phone calls,” said Angel of Black Lives Matter PAC. “It demands that we strengthen our communities, divest from systems that harm us, and invest in Black futures. The time for appealing to oppressive institutions is over. The time for building our collective power is now.”