Rutgers University forced to cancel HBCU conference to appease Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

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President Donald Trump’s anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion executive orders are already impacting higher education where Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are concerned.

On Friday, Rutgers Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions announced it was canceling the center’s HBCUs and Registered Apprenticeship Mini Virtual Conference to appease Trump’s recent anti-DEI executive orders enacted days after he took office.

“We were very excited to bring you the HBCUs and Registered Apprenticeship Mini-Conference next week—an event designed to amplify the voices of HBCU leaders and students planned by our team,” university officials wrote in a post on Instagram explaining the move.

The virtual event, originally planned for Jan. 30, has been canceled to comply with two executive orders: “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” issued on January 20, 2025, and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” issued on January 21, 2025.

A growing list of the companies who have either discontinued or committed to DEI strategies

NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 18: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka attends a unity rally on the steps of City Hall in downtown Newark in support of immigrants on January 18, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. Across the nation activists, politicians and citizens alike have been reacting to recent comments made by President Donald Trump that appeared to denigrate both Haiti and African nations during a meeting on immigration. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Mayor Baraka recently called Rutgers’ decision to cancel the HBCU fair “an utter failure of courage in the face of political foolishness” and said, “Rutgers should not feel alone in the face of this bully.”

According to the university’s center, they have been instructed to “cease all work” under the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility HUB at Jobs for the Future because it receives funds from the US Department of Labor.

“While this setback is disappointing,” the post continued. “We have so much more happening at the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions, and we can’t wait to engage with you in the future.”

Since Trump took office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, Jan. 20, he has moved quickly to remove jobs and overturn executive orders, spearheading DEI initiatives throughout various government departments.

The majority of the panelists scheduled to speak at the Rutgers conference were from Jobs for the Future and could no longer participate because of the executive orders that now direct federal agencies to end federal contracts and grants related to DEI, New Jersey.com reported.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called the decision “an utter failure of courage in the face of political foolishness” in a post on X.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords—they are proven strategies that make our workplaces more productive, our students more learned, and our economy stronger and more stable. More importantly, striving for equity is the right thing to do,” he wrote. “Rutgers should not feel alone in the face of this bully. I call on all private sector partners, responsible corporations, and those who believe in democracy to stand with our institutions against the threat of defunding.”