The Moment
By Rufus Williams
A classmate of mine recently posted on social media, “When I was a kid, I never understood
how the Holocaust could’ve happened. How could nobody have tried to stop it before it got
out of hand? I understand perfectly now.”
In his novel “The Sun Also Rises”, Ernest Hemingway gives us a quote that is often used as a
metaphor for many aspects of life. One character, Bill Gorton, asks another, Mike Campbell,
how he went bankrupt. This is the famous line that comes in Mike’s reply when Bill asks, “How
did you go bankrupt?” “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually, then suddenly.”
Authoritarianism is here. It has been clearly coming since January 20, 2025. Twenty-six
Executive Orders signed on the first day he was back in office. None of this is a surprise to any
of us who knew anything about Project 2025. All of this was laid out in great detail in that
document. Irrespective of the fact that so many pretended that they knew nothing about it,
they clearly knew about it, and we clearly knew that they knew. Yet, here we are.
Beyond what he has done to our country, since resuming office, he has taken several actions
that are specifically harmful to Black Americans. It includes dismantling diversity initiatives,
reducing federal funding for community critical programs, and rolling back decades of civil
rights enforcement. Let me be more specific.
On his first day, he signed an Executive Order eliminating DEI programs and staff across all
federal agencies and or federal contractors. This administration has prohibited race-conscious
hiring and promotions in the federal workforce, which limits pathways for Black employees to
reach senior leadership.
He has rescinded Executive Order 11246, a 1965 order that prohibited federal contractors from
discriminating based on race and required affirmative action.
In the space of education and historical representation, this Department of Education has
terminated approximately 1/3 of its staff and moved to defund programs like Pell Grants, which
disproportionately support Black students.
He signed the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” Act—targeting public,
museums, and national parks, attempting to revoke funding for the National Museum of
African-American History and Culture and scrubbing Black historical figures from federal
websites.
This administration has pressured public schools to sanitize Black history curricula and
threatened to withhold federal funding if they didn’t comply.
This administration has halted the small business grants, disproportionately affecting Black-
owned businesses that rely on these grants for capital startup.
His “one big act” introduced roughly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and $120
billion from SNAP programs that the Black community disproportionately relies on. It is worth
noting that as many white families rely on these programs as well.
By July 2025, the Black unemployment rate rose to 8.3% under this administration. This was
it’s highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2025, an Executive Order directed agencies to stop using the “Disparate Impact”
standard, making it harder to challenge policies that appear neutral but have discriminatory
effects in housing and lending.
He has deployed federal law enforcement and National Guard units to predominantly Black-led
cities like ours in Chicago, like Memphis, and as we’re seeing in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
increasing concerns of police violence and excessive force. As we see in the murders of Renee
Goode and now Alex Pretti, the state-sanctioned violence against citizens and the immediate
reaction of this administration has been callous, wrong, and clearly misdirected.
They’ve eliminated temporary protective status for refugees from Haiti and South Sudan and
issued travel bans on several African nations. It’s worth noting that one of the few groups that
has access to the United States is white South Africans, who he says been discriminated
against.
There has in fact been resistance:
No Kings Day Protests
The courts push back in some areas
Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and AG Raoul’s lawsuit
Leader Jeffries and Minority Leader Schumer
Congresswoman Crockett
Senator Corey Booker
Marjorie Taylor Greene
17 Republicans vote to extend the ACA
Protests after the murder of Renee Good
Protests after the murder of Alex Pretti in 20 below zero weather.
The polls are and have moved demonstrably away from him
Gen Z approval ratings have gone from +10 in February to -32%
Is it enough? Can we maintain our democracy? Our Freedom?
Pay attention to the bombings and leadership removal in Venezuela, discussion of taking over
Greenland and Cuba, and his thoughts on protecting protestors in Iran. Considering Russia
and China, the hypocrisy is stunning!
Why did the world allow the Holocaust to occur? What will be said about us?
We recently celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr., the steward of non-violence. In his time, we
also needed Malcolm X.
Dr. King said, “The measure of a man is not where he stands in the time of comfort and
convenience. The measure of a man is they the stands in time of conflict and controversy.”
Malcolm said, “Discipline turns anger into power. Organization turns power into change. That is
how our people move forward.” He also said, “By any means necessary!”
This is THE MOMENT!
-Rufus Wiliams
Host, “The Rufus Williams Show” on WVON 1690
