Trump’s Anti-Black Race Obsession Against Diversity Hits UVA; Newport New Adopts New FOIA Protocols; Women's Summit

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Trump’s Anti-Black Race Obsession Against Diversity Hits UVA

TRUMP’S OBSESSION WITH RACE AND ANTI-DIVERSITY HITS UVA. The Trump Administration’s pressure on University of Virginia President Jim Ryan to resign over diversity and inclusion policies at the university worked. Yesterday, Ryan announced he was leaving UVA. It’s unclear what the participation of the UVA Board was in the matter. The Board is controlled by appointees of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

According to the UVA, the student population is 7 percent Black. But President Trump, advisor Stephen Miller and Trump’s Department of Justice team are persistent in their focus against diversity and inclusion for historically marginalized groups.

RELATED: Trump Justice Dept. Pressuring University of Virginia President to Resign (New York Times, June 26, 2025)

The Trump Administration has launched an assault on modern civil rights policy since taking office in January 2025. Trump and his minions have targeted companies, government agencies and individuals who are in favor of diversity policy. The Trump Administration has retaliated against entities who have resisted by moving to defund any entity that does not comply with their anti-Black and anti-diversity goals to their satisfaction. The strategy mirrors Stephen Miller’s group America First Legal which is focused on “reverse” discrimination cases and that white Americans are the true victims of racial discrimination.

RELATED: How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months (NYTimes, June 27, 2025)

In February 2025, the Trump Administration declared that all diversity programs were a form of discrimination against white people even though the policies grew out of a historic three centuries old legally codified attack on the descendants of the enslaved and other minority groups and women. Though some of Trump’s directives featuring anti-Black policies have been rejected in court, the Trump White House has rapidly built a culture of anti-Black policy which has included removal of Black authors from military colleges, the altering of history and the removal of Black historic figures from government websites. It has also included a persistent branding of “woke” and “DEI” as negative references to lack of “merit.” A large part of their thesis stands on the racist notion that any Black hire is unqualified because skin color was the only factor — even though quotas have long been illegal.

Above: The UVA Board. All of the Board members appointed by Democrats are leaving next month.
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Democrats have largely been afraid to message on race. Does the party support diversity? It’s clear that Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are obsessed with race, diversity policy and dismantling the modern civil rights movement of the 1960s. The Trump Administration has led a federal purge of Black historic figures and Black history, then joined their efforts with the white supremacist claim that Black hires are lacking in “merit” and that “meritless” employees are minorities benefiting from diversity policies.

Though studies show that the main beneficiary of diversity and inclusion policies are white women, Democrats are failing to challenge Republicans directly on these questions. Instead, the issue of “academic freedom” is used in several statements regarding the targeting of Jim Ryan at UVA.

"I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’’ Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared on Feb. 7, 2025 in the Pentagon Auditorium to DoD staff. The moment was one of the clearest articulation of Trump Administration policy.

Only Congressman Bobby Scott and the Virginia NAACP and pointed out the connection between racism, the firing of President Ryan and the Trump Administration’s persistent race targeting in federal policy.

“Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the DOJ is not authorized to impose sanctions until it has concluded that the university violated the law, and it would not redress the abuse. The DOJ’s demand that Ryan step down was both premature and a perversion of the civil rights resolution practice.

During Trump’s first administration, UVA was the scene of white supremacists’ Unite the Right march where white supremacists’ chanted ‘you will not replace us, Jews will not replace us.’ Then-President Trump’s response to the violence and the death of Heather Heyer was that there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’” Rep. Scott pointed out in his statement.

Rep. Scott went further, mentioning racial history at UVA and federal diversity policy almost no other Democrat focused on as they react to the targeting of UVA’s President by Trump.

“President Ryan was brought to UVA in 2018 to improve the university’s racial climate, learning environment, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts… as a country, we are all worse off because of the Trump Administration’s crusade against diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, while there has been no crusade against racial discrimination. Ryan’s resignation, therefore, signals to the higher education community that diversity as a positive value is now diminished and that segregation is to be celebrated. This situation is made worse because of the willingness of universities and businesses to quickly capitulate,” Rep. Scott, who is the senior Democrat on the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee.

The Virginia NAACP also mentioned diversity policy.

“President Ryan, known for his commitment to enhancing diversity on campus and fostering community engagement, should not face political coercion for championing inclusive policies. The Justice Department is tasked with protecting all individuals, regardless of race, background, or beliefs. Justice should not mean Just-US; it must serve all of society. This unprecedented attack on President Ryan underscores a troubling trend where political interests undermine our fundamental values of diversity and inclusion,” said Cozy Bailey, President of the Virginia NAACP.

Though some of Trump’s anti-inclusive decisions were reversed after public outrage the message from Trump and his anti-immigration extremist, White House advisor Stephen Miller has been clear: Anti-Blackness is official policy of the federal government alongside anti-inclusiveness and anti-Mexican immigration. Those anti-diversity policy goals have included the substantive actions and performative measures.

Former Fox News host and current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is moving to rename eight ships the U.S. Navy has named in honor of a diverse group of people. The effort to strip the names of assassinated NAACP leader Medgar Evers, lawyer Thurgood Marshall, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, abolitionist Lucy Stone, LGBT legend Harvey Milk and labor leader Dolores Huerta from Naval ship ships is an example.

ATTACK ON UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA PRESIDENT. According to reporting in The New York Times on June 26, a UVA graduate currently serving in Trump’s DoJ as the “deputy assistant attorney for civil rights” was pushing for President Ryan to be removed. The Trump administration launched an investigation into UVA over their diversity policies. On June 27, the White House offered a warning Friday to universities supporting the “sham virtue signaling of DEI.”

“Any university president willingly breaking federal civil rights laws will be met with the full force of the federal government, and it would behoove every school in America to prioritize the civil rights of every student and end DEI once and for all,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said.

What the Trump White House now defines “civil rights” is anything that may challenge the historic status quo and upend the balance of demographic power that provides marginalized groups opportunity.

In an 8-4 vote on June 10, Virginia Senate’s Privileges and Elections Committee voted to blocked former state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli from being on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. Cuccinelli was appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Even though the Board at UVA is overwhelmingly controlled by Youngkin appointees, it appears that the Trump Administration wants even more control.

RELATED: Virginia NAACP Hits Miyares for Anti-Black Letter to COSTCO (Feb. 3, 2025)

The Republican push against diversity has included Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares going after COSTCO as he joined with 18 other Republican Attorneys General in an effort to push the company to end its equity programs.

On June 24, Virginia Senate Democrats led by Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surrovell and Virginia Senate Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas sued the leaders of the governing boards at three public universities alleging that the Youngkin Administration is ignoring legislative authority regarding board appointments. The boards of the University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute are their focus.

The ideological battle over who controls higher education is also seen in Trump’s attack on Harvard University. That attack also involves claims that the university is not following the Trump Administration’s views against diversity.

In Virginia, there are other universities that could be in the cross-hairs of Stephen Miller and Donald Trump. They include Norfolk State University and George Mason University.

RELATED: VA Senate committee blocks former Attorney General Cuccinelli from UVA Board of Visitors appointment (WVIR 29News, June 10, 2025)

VIRGINIA’S BATTLEGROUND HOUSE SEATS! 🎙️ NEW PODCAST EP53 - LISTEN! Fergie Reid, Jr. and Lauren Burke discuss Virginia’s Battleground races for 2025!

Newport New Adopts New FOIA Protocols

City of Newport News: The City of Newport News has implemented a new Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) Responses Protocol to enhance transparency and facilitate improved public access to government records for its residents. The new formal and defined process was developed to ensure an even higher level of city-wide consistency and compliance with state law for all requested public documents. Receiving more than 2,000 VFOIA requests for public records each year, the city prides itself on providing timely and transparent responses to its citizens.

The Newport News Freedom of Information Act Request Center allows residents to submit a VFOIA request, search the city’s public records archive, review monthly property code violations, and quickly retrieve regularly requested documents, including:

• Mayor’s Statement of Economic Interest

• Mayor’s travel expenses

"With the launch of our new Virginia Freedom of Information Act process, I am reaffirming our commitment to openness and accountability,” said Mayor Phillip Jones. “The City of Newport News understands the importance and value of access to public records. This formalized process ensures that all citizens experience a streamlined approach to the information they want. Our FOIA Request Center simplifies the process, empowering residents to easily submit requests, search decades of archives, and view other requested records - including my Statement of Economic Interest - with ease."

The city’s new VFOIA protocol, administered by the City Attorney’s Office, also includes procedures and directives such as redaction requirements, retention guidelines, processing costs, and staff training.

TODAY! June 28 and June 29 in Tysons: The Women’s Summit!

Network NOVA’s annual Women’s Summit kicks off tomorrow

LISTEN! Sam Shirazi’s podcast FEDERAL FALLOUT 🎙️ Listen to the latest episode of Federal Fallout with Black Virginia News founder Lauren Burke

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