By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
In its most urgent warning to date, the National Urban League has declared a “state of emergency” for democracy and civil rights in the United States. The organization’s 49th annual State of Black America report, unveiled at its conference in Cleveland, Ohio, outlines what it describes as a deliberate, coordinated campaign to reverse decades of progress for Black Americans. “A democracy willing to destroy itself rather than deliver justice is a democracy in crisis,” the report states. “The work is difficult. The road is long,” National Urban League President Marc H. Morial added. “But we know from experience that the arc of history does not bend toward justice on its own—it must be bent by those with the strength and will to see it through.”
This year’s report, titled “State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack,” sounds the alarm over efforts to dismantle civil rights protections, suppress voting access, and strip away diversity initiatives. “The notion that we are living through a ‘state of emergency’ is not rhetorical flourish. It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles—equality, liberty, and justice—rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation and deliver equitable opportunity to all,” Morial wrote in his foreword. Among the most pressing threats detailed in the report is the systematic rollback of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“Almost daily, since January 20, 2025, the federal government, at the direction the White House, has set fire to policies and entire departments dedicated to protecting civil and human rights, providing access to an equal education, fair housing, safe and effective healthcare, and ensuring that our democratic process is adhered to across the nation,” the report authors wrote. It also describes the radical transformation of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “Under its new leadership, the Civil Rights Division has been hollowed out and repurposed, transforming from a guardian of justice into a tool for political retribution,” the report said. Within weeks of the new administration taking power, “cases against election deniers who’ve tampered with the election equipment were dismissed and January 6th rioters were pardoned.”
The report also warns of a rise in digital extremism. “During the 2024 election cycle, accounts supporting progressive candidates also saw their accounts blocked and shadow-banned without explanation,” the report documented. It calls this “a digital rollback of rights mirroring what’s happening in courts and legislatures.” Describing the coordinated backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the report stated: “Following the murder of George Floyd, far-right extremists seized an opportunity to stop the calls for racial equity by reframing the policies as ‘woke’ and anti-American.” The American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by Edward Blum, “continued its assault on organizations with ‘unfair,’ ‘race-based’ diversity and equity programs.” In one high-profile case, the group sued the Fearless Fund, “forcing it to suspend its $20,000 grant program for women of color entrepreneurs, claiming ‘anti-white’ bias.”
The National Urban League’s response, detailed in the report, includes a broad campaign of legal challenges, advocacy, and community organizing. It has launched the Equitable Justice and Strategic Initiatives division, established the 21 Pillars for Public Safety framework, and coordinated the Fair Budget Coalition to push for a “just and inclusive FY2026 federal budget.” The League also filed suit, alongside Lambda Legal and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, challenging executive orders that target diversity and equity. “This is not business as usual,” Morial said. “This is an emergency. The National Urban League urges vigilance, mobilization, solidarity, and support. This year’s State of Black America is a call to action to stand together as we defend our rights and the principles of American democracy in our courts, our communities, and our coalitions.”
Contributors to the report include civil rights leaders, attorneys, and elected officials such as Damon Hewitt, Kristen Clarke, Janai Nelson, LaTosha Brown, U.S. Representatives Steven Horsford and Hakeem Jeffries, and others committed to defending democracy. “We are witnessing something more than policy shifts. We are watching an attempt to turn back the clock to an era when the full humanity of all Americans was not recognized—when the idea of true equality was treated as a threat to the social order,” the report authors concluded. “What we face today is a deliberate, coordinated effort to deny the future of a more just and inclusive America.”
The full report, essays, and resources are available at http://www.stateofblackamerica.org.
