Urban League Warns of Civil Rights ‘Emergency’ Under Trump Administration

The National Urban League declared a “state of emergency” for civil rights in the United States, warning that federal rollbacks under President Donald Trump are eroding decades of progress. The alarm was sounded in the organisation’s 2025 State of Black America report, released Thursday at its conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Titled “State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack,” the report charges that the administration has weakened or dismantled agencies responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws, threatened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in workplaces and universities. “This is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles,” National Urban League President Marc Morial said in the document. The White House rejected the findings. Spokesman Harrison Fields said civil-rights organisations that criticise the president “aren’t advancing anything but hate and division,” arguing that the administration is focused on economic growth, border security and national unity. Calling for a “new resistance,” the Urban League urges automatic voter registration, ranked-choice voting and restoration of voting rights for formerly incarcerated people. The group also encourages civic engagement ahead of state and local elections, contending that sustained political participation is essential to protecting civil-rights gains.