Racial justice activists prepare for Trump budget cuts and policy changes
Source: USA Today
Published 5:10 a.m. ET Nov. 23, 2024 | Updated 8:42 a.m. ET Nov. 23, 2024
ST. LOUIS ‒ They feed the hungry. They counter violence and racial injustice. They fight for criminal justice reform and against book bans. And this week, more than 4,200 of them came together for solace and support and to map out how to respond if President-elect Donald Trump delivers on campaign promises to dismantle programs that support their work.
The effort comes as many racial justice activists said they mourn Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat to Trump, the Republican former president. “We find ourselves at a crossroads,’’ Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, told activists. “We cannot allow ourselves to fall into hopelessness.”
In the wake of the presidential election, the activists, educators, government workers and researchers participated in a two-day "Facing Race" conference Thursday and Friday hosted by Race Forward, a progressive-leaning national social justice organization. The event took place 10 years after Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was killed by a white police officer a few miles away in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death sparked demonstrations and a focus on racial tensions there and other places.
Traditionally, the conference is held every two years and two weeks after Election Day. Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, talked to reporters Nov. 21, 2025 during the organization's conference in St. Louis. Organizers said the convening provided activists an opportunity to discuss some concerns, including Trump’s campaign promses (sic) to eliminate the federal Department of Education, deport millions of immigrants and scrap programs centered on diversity. Other groups are also ramping up progressive activism efforts.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/23/activists-strategize-continue-fight-inequities/76494684007/