### **Federal Jobs Historically Built the Black Middle Class—Now Trump’s Cuts Threaten That Legacy**
For decades, federal government jobs have been a crucial pathway into the middle class for Black Americans, offering stability, benefits, and career advancement opportunities often denied in the private sector. Shirley Hopkins, an 81-year-old retiree from Prince George’s County, Maryland, exemplifies this legacy—she spent her career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recruiting Black students into federal internships, helping them secure stable employment. However, the Trump administration’s aggressive job cuts, hiring freezes, and dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are destabilizing this long-standing economic ladder. Black workers, who make up 18.5% of the federal workforce (compared to 14.8% of the general population), are disproportionately affected, raising concerns about the erosion of Black economic mobility.
### **From Post-WWII Opportunity to Present-Day Uncertainty**
The federal government became a key employer for Black workers after World War II, offering fair wages and advancement opportunities during an era of widespread private-sector discrimination. Calvin Stevens, a 78-year-old Air Force veteran, built a 30-year career at the General Services Administration (GSA), rising to a GS-14 supervisory position—a trajectory that allowed him to support his family and send his children to college. Yet today, Trump’s policies—including labeling DEI initiatives as “illegal” and “immoral”—threaten to reverse decades of progress. Historian Frederick Gooding Jr. warns that without federal protections, Black workers face heightened vulnerability, potentially emboldening private-sector discrimination.
### **The Ripple Effects of Federal Job Cuts on Black Families and Communities**
The impact of these cuts extends beyond individual workers. Kevin Abernathy, a U.S. Postal Service employee and nephew of Shirley Hopkins, once encouraged his children to pursue federal jobs for stability. But with Trump’s workforce reductions, his eldest son recently left government work for the private sector, fearing instability. Economists like Marcus Casey warn that shrinking federal opportunities could limit Black workers’ ability to gain experience and transition into private-sector roles. Additionally, sociologist Kris Marsh predicts that wealthy majority-Black counties like Prince George’s and Charles County in Maryland—buoyed by federal salaries—could see economic decline, further destabilizing the fragile Black middle class. For many, the American dream, once within reach through federal employment, now feels increasingly uncertain.
Ez a cikk a Neural News AI (V1) verziójával készült.
Forrás: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/27/nx-s1-5349442/black-federal-employees-trump-cuts.