This post was originally published on Defender Network
By Aswad Walker
Several people, nationally and globally, are sounding the alarm about Project 2025 and its goal to overthrow U.S. democracy. And even though the national and local Black barbershop buzz and social media chatter about Project 2025 has picked up (in large part due to Taraji P. Henson’s bringing Project 2025 to many people’s attention), there is still less understanding of the project’s negative implications for Black world.
“Not since the presidency of Ronald Reagan and his ‘trickle-down economics,’ ‘welfare queens,’ the flooding of Black communities with crack cocaine, which was extremely detrimental and harmful to the forward progress of Black people, have Black, Brown and grassroots communities faced a greater threat than that of Project 2025,” said Tamani Mwandani, whose organization Black Gold Nation has hosted multiple community gatherings to explain Project 2025 and its most dangerous goals.
What exactly is Project 2025
Essentially, Project 2025 is the Republican Party’s plan to remake or dismantle the entire federal government in the image of neo-conservative, white evangelical “Christians” who believe in the superiority of whites and the inherent inferiority and criminality of Blacks. Foundationally, Project 2025 is based on the idea that these white “Christian” soldiers are called by God to save America from people of color, immigrants, women and “the woke.”
“Project 2025, based on the Unitary Executive Theory that asserts the president has absolute power over the Executive Branch and its 15 national departments, aims to eliminate, overhaul and/or restructure the U.S. government into a ‘Christian’ nationalist governing body which is guaranteed to negatively affect the lives of millions of Black, Brown and poor grassroots people,” said Mwandani.
Direct impact on Blacks
Here’s what some might deem “Project 2025 for Dummies;” some of its policies broken down into small, digestible nuggets.
Assault on Democracy
“It’s talking about ending democracy and creating a monarchy or dictator-style government.” (Mwandani)
“Project 2025 is being run by Trump allies, modeled after Trump’s words, and designed to allow Trump to enact his dangerous agenda to be a ‘dictator on day one.’” (Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd)
“Many of Trump’s indicated plans for a second term fall in line with the Project 2025 outline. This includes giving the president unchecked power over federal agencies and the total ability to bypass Congress.” (New York Magazine)
Immediate Negative Change
“Many of the authors of the blueprint are former Trump officials, and the Heritage Foundation has spent the past year-plus recruiting people to implement the plans within the administration. So, they don’t just have a long, sprawling policy document, they also have a growing list of staff who are being tested to see if they are loyal to Trump and if they are willing to administer this in his potential administration.” (Politico)
Anti-Black Policy
“From June 19, 1865, to now, 159 years later, the lives of Black people are still being determined by the agendas of those in power. Everything that happened to Black people before we got the news that we were ‘free’ on June 19, 1865, was public policy which means it was the political agenda of others. In 2024, we’re now facing yet another assault on our day-to-day lives per the agenda of others who are not only very serious but very organized in their goals to reshape America.” (Mwandani)
Unchecked Weaponized Power
“[Trump] has also pledged to appoint a special prosecutor to go after the Biden family and other political opponents.” (The Week)
With unchecked institutionally weaponized power, MAGA can go after all they define as enemies – Biden, Obama, Clinton, Democrats, Republicans against Trump, Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and groups, university professors, scientists, Muslims or any individuals or entities practicing faiths other than white evangelical “Christianity.”
Apartheid White Minority Rule
With unchecked institutionally weaponized power that makes enemies of Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants, Asians, and whites who respect all humanity, in a country that is “darker” racially by the day, Project 2025 locks in place for the foreseeable future a white minority rule government. That’s called apartheid.
Using Military Against Civilians
Project 2025 advises the future president to immediately deploy the military for domestic law enforcement and to direct the DOJ to pursue Trump’s “adversaries” by invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807.
Anti-Immigrant & Anti-U.S. Economy
What most economists and politicians recognize is that America can’t survive economically without the contributions of immigrants. Immigrants are not only the lifeblood of the restaurant, construction, and farming industries, they make up the lion’s share of the doctors and scientists in the U.S. because of America’s unwillingness to invest in strengthening public school education (because public schools are made up of predominantly Black and Brown children).
The result: critical healthcare and research positions are unfilled because the U.S. isn’t even trying to produce enough young minds to fill them. Hence, immigrants are a saving grace. So, when Project 2025 recommends the arrest, detention, and deportation of undocumented immigrants across the country, they are also threatening the well-being of documented (“legal”) immigrants. Moreover, “immigrants” for Project 2025 folk is just another word for “Black,” “Hispanic,” “Muslim,” and “Other.” Anti-immigrant violence in the U.S. has always, always meant more violence inflicted upon Black and Brown U.S. citizens, as well. Always. Every time.
Anti-Black Women
Regardless of your position on abortion, when Project 2025 urges the government to explicitly reject abortion as health care and to restrict access to contraception, it spells hell on earth for Black women who already have the least access to healthcare, protections under the law, economic opportunities, etc. Such bans on healthcare choices will negatively impact Black women worse than all others in every aspect of healthcare, not just regarding reproductive rights. As history shows, the mistreatment of women negatively impacts children, families, and entire communities.
Anti-Other
Though Blacks don’t like to be lumped together with other demographics, Project 2025 does just that. It proposes removing protections against discrimination based on sexual or gender identity and terminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as affirmative action. In other words, it makes discrimination legal, i.e. Jim Crow, the Red Summer of 1919, the Tuskegee Experiment, slavery, etc.
White Nationalist Education Only
If you think the current education system is whitewashed, just wait. Project 2025 recommends abolishing the Department of Education, whose programs would be either transferred to other government agencies or terminated. Scientific research would only receive federal funding if it suits white conservative principles. These policies spell doom for school and scholarship funding, after-school programs, and resource access to already resource-needy schools.
Injustice Free-For-All
Even though the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been historically anti-Black, they have also kept the worst impulses (and plans) of white domestic terrorists in check. Project 2025 proposes slashing funding for these entities, creating an injustice-free-for-all where white terrorist groups not only go unchecked; they’re encouraged to commit violence.
State Property
Project 2025 policy requires public school students to enlist in the military while not requiring the same of wealthy, predominantly white private school students.