Women taking the wheel in these extraordinary political and economic yo-yo days

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor at Large

Women are taking stock, not just because it is Women’s History Month, not just because last Saturday, March 8th, 2025, was International Women’s Day, and not even because, in acknowledgment of ALL that Black women contribute to and sacrifice for, Monday, March 10th, was deemed National Day of Rest for Black Women. It was also the same day the ultimate revolutionary activist, Harriet Tubman, passed away in 1913.

These are precarious and reflective times. But, there is little time for contemplation without action.
Especially after President Donald Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk culled the DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program across all government agencies.
It is not about the acronym itself; it is about the lives devastated by the loss of a job, income, and position.

“DEI initiatives do more than prevent discrimination—they promote respect, understanding, and the celebration of diverse perspectives,” said NY Attorney General Letitia James. “This means ensuring that people of diverse races, backgrounds, and beliefs are present and valued in workplace and educational settings, that everyone receives fair treatment and equal access to opportunities, and that individuals or groups feel welcomed and supported in those settings.”

The media narrative is that Black people will suffer most from the removal of DEI in government and businesses like Walmart, Google, and Amazon. However, according to John Hope Byrant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, “We are fifth on the list.”

Bryant said people should invest in DIY strategies as opposed to getting aerated over the removal of D.E.I. He determined that DEI beneficiaries rate as follows: first white women, then Hispanics and Latinos, then disabled people, and then Black folk, then Indigenous and Asians.

With the cost of living steadily rising, buying eggs is like a rent/mortgage payment, and paycheck-to-paycheck workers absorbing anxiety with job insecurity is a daily worry.

Doom-scrolling residents looking out onto cautious immigrant semi-free streets, schools, businesses, and hospitals, seniors and people living with illnesses are fretting about social security and Medicare/Medicaid, and students are altering their plans for higher education as they contemplate non-federal-assisted school bills.

There’s the Wall Street rollercoaster tariff to and fro and political back and forth fueling these extraordinary economic and socio-political times when the general populace just wants job/income security, financial stability, and focused public safety.

This as Trump just slashed the staff of the federal Department of Education by half.
Meanwhile, on March 5, 2025, AG James and a coalition of 14 attorneys general issued guidance to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities outlining the benefits, legality, and importance of common diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices in education.

The guidance responded to concerns following an executive order and a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) “Dear Colleague” letter threatening schools that continue to uphold DEIA policies and programming.

“The administration cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter,” said AG James. “Schools and educational institutions can rest assured that they are well within their legal rights to continue building inclusive learning environments for their students. My office will always stand up for the rule of law and defend New Yorkers from threats.”

Last May, Janice Gassam Asare wrote an article called “Black Women in DEI are Under Attack” in Forbes.
“Black women are quite literally dying in our attempt to save the world from itself,” Asare quoted global DEI executive Crystle Johnson stating. “Over the last year, I’ve opted out of the idea that creating impact comes at the sacrifice of my joy, my peace, and my life. As a DEI practitioner, I will always show up and do my best, but I no longer burden myself with guilt when I don’t see massive leaps in progress at an enterprise level.”

Asare continued that with anti-DEI-ism on the rise last year, “It is important that Black women in DEI remain vigilant, and realize that attacks on this work and those who engage in this work will continue. History has shown us that resistance follows a cyclical pattern. When there is progress being made, there will always be a sector of the population that fights against it.”

Citing Harriet Tubman as a study in courage observing the centennial of her death in 2013, at a Workers World Party, Brooklyn’s Brenda Stokely said, “We need to take another look at Sister Harriet [Tubman] and other sisters who were involved in the struggle both in the African-American movement and the Indigenous movement, in the Latin American movement… the African continent… There has not been a movement in the world where women have not been leaders.”

Referencing ‘Jailbreak Out of History: The Re-Biography of Harriet Tubman,’ by Butch Lee, Stokely said, “There is not a movement in the world where women were not able to stand up and use any means necessary to fight for their liberation and take off the shackles that the oppressor has placed there, and also men who didn’t have the courage to take the kind of stand they needed to take.”

Stokely noted that the book documents that Harriet freed over 756 enslaved Africans from the major plantations on Combahee River in Beaufort, S.C.
Yet despite her historic, selfless bravery, Stokely asked, “Why is it that the way Harriet has been characterized, the way Rosa Parks has been characterized, the way Ella Baker’s strategic mind has been belittled and put under a rock, as well as Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as so many other people who are everyday people?”

Speaking of heroines, just up the road on Route 198, Center 1968 is celebrating “One Year of Empowering Black Women Leaders in Policy and Public Service.”
They are honoring the legacy of Bed Stuy’s own Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm as “Center 1968 expands programs to develop the Next Generation of Black Women Leaders.”

Marking its first anniversary, Philadelphia’s Center 1968 is sharing its strength in its “groundbreaking year dedicated to amplifying Black women’s voices in policy, governance, and public service. Named after the iconic Shirley Chisholm—the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968—Center 1968 embodies her trailblazing spirit, commitment to justice, and relentless pursuit of opportunity for future generations.”

Stephanie Etienne, Executive Director of Center 1968, said, “Shirley Chisholm once said, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,’ In our first year, we’ve done just that—creating programs that equip Black leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks to create lasting change in policy and government.”

So aptly named Center 1968 focuses on shaping the future of Black women in leadership, “rolling out a series of impactful initiatives to empower the next generation of political change-makers.”

“We’re not just building an organization—we’re building a movement,” said Jasmine E. Sessoms, President of the Board. A movement that ensures Black women’s leadership and policy expertise are not just recognized, but respected and implemented in government.”