Avid followers of the news are aware that Trump ordered the Pentagon to scan federal websites for articles, social media posts, photos, news articles, and videos and remove any web pages that "promote diversity, equity and inclusion.” Numerous websites under Pentagon control abruptly removed thousands of pages documenting the history of people of color, LGBTQ people, women, and others from marginalized backgrounds and their contributions to the American military. Following an order from Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot, multiple pages about baseball legend, military veteran, political activist, and public statesman Jackie Robinson were removed, including a documentary about “Negro League” players (the term used at the time) discussing Robinson’s tenure in the military. Eventually, by March 19, at least one page about Robinson, in a series about athletes who served in the military, had been reinstated.

Tidal waves of anger and outrage were followed by intense media coverage over this scurrilous and blatant disrespect directed toward the iconic Robinson. ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote on X: “The ghouls who did this should be ashamed. Jackie Robinson was the embodiment of an American hero. Fix this now.” Christina Karl, sports editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote on X: “Erasing Jackie Robinson’s fight against segregation while serving our country is the definition of un-American. Robinson’s battle to make this country better by empowering its diversity while fighting for equity & inclusion is the defining struggle of 20th century American sports.” “This is the establishment of Jim Crow 2.0,” Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) commented. “I said that before we ever had the election, and it’s coming true. Clyburn was referencing remarks from October, when he called the conservative policy agenda Project 2025 “Jim Crow 2.0.” Representative Yvette Clarke, a (D-NY) who represents the section of Brooklyn where Robinson once played, accused the Trump administration of erasing Black history and said she would not forget the page’s disappearance.

Needless to say, they quickly made a sharp U-turn and reinstated the photos and added an apology as well. They also quickly removed the racist fool who was in charge of this division to another department. He should have been terminated for incompetence. Outrage further festered when the Department of Defense’s (DOD) response to reporters from various news outlets consisted of an e-mail that looked to be cut-and-pasted from the transcripts of fascist YouTube: a sub-world that Defense Secretary Peth Hegseth seems to be familiar with. The statement said that “celebrating the achievements of people of color (like Robinson) was an example of something the military now opposes: “cultural Marxism.” Yes, you read that correctly. Such comments are outright nonsense. Mind you, this is the same Hegseth who believes that women and people of color are inferior! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Please! He needs to take a SERIOUS look inward as well as in a long, tall, revelatory mirror.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a policy that has existed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin illegal in employment. As time progressed, more and more people became aware that the chronic historic marginalization directed toward certain groups of people in the United States demanded a more aggressive effort to address it. Thus, various institutions in the nation, from corporations to academia to government, implemented policies to ensure people had a level playing field. Over time, ethnic, religious, and LGBTQIA+ communities became etched in the fabric of the American workplace.

However, what is apparent is that Hegseth and his motley crew of right-wing cohorts were not erasing Robinson solely because of his Blackness but because of what is indisputable and undeniable to it: a life story cultivated by the reality of Jim Crow and American apartheid. Attempts to eradicate such a compelling narrative are intended not only to abolish past sins but also to make a declarative statement on who gets to claim the status of “citizen” in the present. Note to Hegseth, Ullyot, Darren Beattie, and their right-wing compatriots: HITLER LOST THE WAR! The fact that the Department of Defense had to backtrack and make a rapid U-turn should be viewed as a triumph and an unmistakable reminder of who the people running it are. In Jackie Robinson’s case, restoring the information came too little and too late. The perpetrators’ intentions were exposed, and the damage was done.

Quite frankly, no one should be all that surprised by such bigoted and reactionary antics. Defense Secretary Hegseth made it clear before he was nominated that he believes racial minorities, women, and LGBTQIA+ members of the military are inferior. His initial action upon taking the job was having Trump fire the Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (whom he had called “DEI” earlier), replacing him with a white man, and the two top women officers. This left the military without any women in a four-star general or admiral leadership position. Ridiculous!

Trump adamantly and unabashedly campaigned on eradicating DEI throughout his campaign despite having no idea what it entailed. His efforts received rapturous applause from his MAGA base, and being appeased by his supporters is his primary concern. Many members of his cabinet and other advisors around him — particularly the Project 2025 authors who unsparingly called for a variety of language to be deleted from “from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists” as well as for the dismantling of every DEI program that exists in government — do know what DEI eradication involves. Trump is dutifully following their suggestions.

All federal DEI programs have been canceled, and the people running them have been terminated. Scientific research is being suppressed by orders from the National Institute of Health and Centers for Disease Control. University grantees are being forced to eliminate any research focused on diverse populations (including “women”). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice have targeted law firms, higher education institutions, and private companies, demanding they account for their diversity programs and suggesting that they are guilty of discriminatory hiring practices. This is a direct assault on racial and gender equality.

These individuals believe that the stories of particular patriots who overcame discrimination and adversity and became “pioneers” and the “few” are not important. Indeed, they resent inspirational historical accounts that highlight race, gender, LGBTQIA+, non-Christian denominations, and so on. They would rather obscure, if not outright erase, all evidence of such discrimination and adversity altogether, acting as if such injustices never occurred. They want to pretend that the world is a meritocracy where white men just happen to be the best. DEI dispels such intellectually dishonest falsehoods. Those of us committed to fairness for all must make a valiant effort to prohibit such a retrograde and sinister agenda from reaching fruition.