What a difference a year makes. In changes that range from symbolic to shocking, civil rights in the U.S. have experienced huge setbacks in the past year. Civil rights have been rolled back at a rate that recalls the rollbacks following the gains of Reconstruction after the Civil War.
We hope the civil rights setbacks we’re seeing now are temporary and, as people realize how fragile our civil rights are, everyone steps forward to protect them.
The civil rights rollback started on the first day of the new administration. In January, Executive Order 14173 (Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity) revoked the 1965 Executive Order 11246 (Equal Employment Opportunity) . The 2025 executive order effectively removed anti-discrimination requirements for federal contractors and ended the enforcement of programs designed to penalize organizations that practice discrimination. In other words, although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 remains the law of the land, the federal government under the current administration is no longer enforcing it.
In April, President Trump signed an executive order 14281 (Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy) aimed at narrowing civil rights protections and reducing the use of disparate impact to “the maximum degree possible.” Reducing the use of disparate impact in discrimination cases means that those claiming discrimination will have to show explicit intent to discriminate. For example, when state legislators gerrymander a district by splitting a black community, plaintiffs will have to show that the legislators explicitly intended to dilute the Black vote even when the impact is obvious. See NC senate districts 7 and 8 in Wilmington for an example of this type of gerrymandering.
The April executive order also repeals several provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and will alter the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). The FHA and ECOA were originally passed by Congress to prevent discrimination in housing and lending; reducing enforcement makes it more likely that discrimination will occur.
Civil rights divisions in the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs have also been closed. Three civil rights offices in the Department of Homeland Security were set to be closed in April, but legal and public outcry have kept them open.
The Department of Education has also sharply rolled back civil rights enforcement. In March, the administration announced that it was eliminating seven of the department’s 12 regional civil rights offices, impacting more than 6,000 open investigations. Offices in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco were shuttered. The offices in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. are still open.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for ensuring that all students have equal access to education, including students from all racial backgrounds, students with disabilities, and sexual assault survivors.
Not content with dismantling civil rights enforcement, the administration is also attacking public knowledge about American history. The ironically titled executive order 14253 (Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History) seeks to ensure that all “public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living, and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people (including persons living in colonial times) or, with respect to natural features, the beauty , abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”
It’s impossible to conceive of a true accounting of our nation’s history that excludes disparaging content.
Even national parks are being used to signal the federal administration’s remarkable shift away from honoring civil rights. Starting in 2026, the list of days that offer free admissions to national parks no longer includes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth, both federal holidays. Added to the list is Flag Day (also President Trump’s birthday) on June 14—which is not a federal holiday—among several other changes.
Although we no longer have free admission to national parks on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we can honor his work by recommitting to the goals of civil rights and high quality free, public education for all. Let’s not allow our nation to slide back toward the horrific post-reconstruction days of unequal opportunity and rampant discrimination. It will take all of us fighting to turn once again toward progress for more rights, more equality, and more opportunities for all.