The Golden Age of America Was Never Golden for Black Folks

There’s been a lot of talk lately about “restoring the Golden Age of America.” You hear it from Trump, in conservative think tanks, political speeches, and now in actual policy. But let’s be honest: when people like Donald Trump talk about the Golden Age, they’re not talking about a time that included people like me—or my family.

They’re talking about an America where Black folks were openly excluded, criminalized, and oppressed. Where we were redlined into specific neighborhoods, denied decent housing, decent jobs, and quality education. Where our votes were suppressed, our voices silenced, our contributions erased, and our bodies overpoliced. That’s the “great” they want to bring back. And if you’re Black—or Indigenous, Brown, gay, a woman, or an immigrant—you already know that “great” was code for white-centered power and privilege.

Donald Trump Is Not a New Problem—He’s a Long One

Let’s not pretend this started recently. Donald Trump has been targeting Black folks for decades, and he’s only become more emboldened now that he’s back in office as of November 2024. What we’re seeing in 2025 isn’t new—it’s just no longer masked.

Let’s talk about what he’s done—past and present:

• Central Park Five Ad (1989): Trump took out a full-page ad calling for the death penalty for five innocent Black and Latino boys. He never apologized, even after they were exonerated.

• Housing Discrimination (1970s): The Trump Organization was sued by the federal government for refusing to rent to Black tenants. Trump’s company literally marked applications from Black people with a “C” for “colored.”

• Obama Birther Lie: He launched and led the racist birther movement, pushing the lie that President Obama wasn’t born in America. That wasn’t just about Obama—it was about challenging the very legitimacy of Black leadership.

• Charlottesville (2017): After a white supremacist rally turned deadly, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.” White nationalists heard him loud and clear.

• Attacking Black Women in Power: From calling Congresswoman Maxine Waters “low IQ” to mocking New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump has consistently used demeaning language toward Black women who dare to challenge him.

• Suppressing the Black Vote: He’s repeatedly tried to invalidate votes from majority-Black cities—Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia—claiming fraud when Black people turned out in force.

• Eliminating Federal DEI Efforts: During his first term, he banned federal agencies from doing diversity training. He’s already started doing the same again in 2025, issuing new executive orders defunding any federal program with a DEI component.

• Scrubbing Black History and Identity from Public Spaces: He’s pushed for revised school curriculums that remove mentions of systemic racism, slavery’s legacy, and the contributions of Black Americans—replacing them with sanitized, nationalistic “patriotic education” that’s more propaganda than truth.

• Weaponizing the Word “Woke”: Let’s call it what it is—when Trump and his supporters say “woke,” they mean Black. When they attack DEI, they’re attacking efforts to protect and uplift Black lives and Black voices. “Woke” has become their catch-all insult for anything that centers equity, history, truth, and justice—especially when it comes from or benefits us.

And now that he’s back in office, he’s picking up right where he left off—replacing Black leaders, defunding civil rights enforcement, pushing through judges hostile to voting rights, and promoting policies designed to maintain white dominance under the guise of “equality.”

This Affects Me Deeply

As a Black woman, a mother, and a grandmother, I feel the weight of all this. I want my grandbabies to learn truth. I want them to be proud of who they are and where they come from, and I want them to live in a country that sees them as fully human.

I’m not just going to stand by and watch. I voted against Trump in November 2024—and I was part of the 92% of Black women who did. I speak up. I write. I expose the truth where and how I can. No, I won’t be marching in the streets. Because let’s be honest—when white folks protest, it’s called “activism.” When Black folks do it, they call the National Guard. We’ve seen what happens when Black people gather in large numbers demanding justice—they don’t just send news crews, they send tear gas.

But I will keep resisting in the ways I know how. With words. With truth. With faith. 

Let’s Talk About Elon Musk, Too

Elon Musk was born and raised in apartheid South Africa—a country built on the belief that Black people were inferior. That system shaped him, whether he wants to admit it or not. And now he’s here, one of the most powerful tech moguls on earth, using his platform to undermine DEI, amplify racist voices, and mock basic principles of respect and identity.

He gutted DEI programs at Twitter/X. He openly mocks pronoun use. He boosts white supremacist content in the name of “free speech.” Like Trump, Musk claims to be against “wokeness”—but again, we know what that really means. These men aren’t just against programs or policies. They’re against progress. Against truth. Against us.

So What Is DEI Really?

DEI isn’t a threat. It’s a framework for fairness. Let’s break it down:

• Diversity: Ensuring different voices, backgrounds, and experiences are included.

• Equity: Acknowledging that systemic barriers exist and correcting them.

• Inclusion: Building environments where all people feel seen, respected, and empowered to thrive.

DEI helps all marginalized groups—Black folks, Indigenous communities, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and yes—even white people who’ve been left out of power structures due to class or education.

It’s not about pushing anyone out. It’s about letting everyone in.

This “Golden Age” They Want Isn’t Ours

This country has always asked Black people to be silent about their pain and patient for their progress. Enough. When they talk about “restoring America,” we know they mean restoring their America—the one where we were left out, locked out, or simply not counted.

I won’t celebrate that kind of past. I won’t accept that kind of future.

The Golden Age was never golden for us. And I will not let that lie go unchallenged—not for my children, not for my grandchildren, not for myself.