‘State of Emergency’: Urban League warns of rising threat to democracy
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The threat to American democracy is “worse than we feared,” the National Urban League warns in a new report, arguing that the foundations of constitutional freedom are being systematically dismantled — especially for African Americans — under the renewed leadership of President Donald Trump.
“We are witnessing something more than policy shifts,” said Marc Morial, the league’s president. “We are watching an attempt to turn back the clock to an era when the full humanity of all Americans was not recognized.”
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In “State of Emergency: Democracy, Civil Rights, and Progress Under Attack” — the 49th installment of the National Urban League’s “State of Black America” series — the report argues that American democracy, along with the constitutional safeguards meant to protect it, is under siege from within.
Most at risk, the report says, are African Americans — whose voices and votes have been targeted since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and who now face an even more dangerous backlash.
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
The legislative process, it warns, has been weaponized to suppress and marginalize Black communities, placing the nation’s democratic institutions in crisis.
“A democracy willing to destroy itself rather than deliver justice is a democracy in crisis,” Morial said Thursday during the report’s release at the National Urban League’s annual conference in Cleveland. “Every inch of Black progress in America has been met with fierce resistance.”
The cover of the report shows a trash can on fire — an unambiguous symbol of democratic erosion. The 24-page document includes contributions from prominent leaders and advocates, including LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter; U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries; and Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath.
Credit: National Urban League
Collectively, they argue that the Trump administration is not simply reversing progress but actively working to dismantle the pillars of civil rights.
“The notion that we are living through a ‘state of emergency’ is not rhetorical flourish,” Morial said. “It is an honest reckoning with a government increasingly determined to sacrifice its founding principles — equality, liberty, and justice — rather than accept the truth of a diversifying nation.”
CJ Pearson, co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, pushed back forcefully against the National Urban League’s framing of American democracy as being in crisis and argued that under Trump’s leadership, minority communities experienced tangible gains — economically and otherwise.
Credit: Greg Bluestein/AJC
“President Donald Trump continues to deliver for Black and brown Americans through his America First agenda, creating good-paying jobs here at home and keeping communities safe,” he said.
Pearson’s comments reflect a growing sentiment among some Black conservatives who view the National Urban League’s report as ideologically driven and out of step with what they consider real progress under Trump-era policies.
Bruce LeVell, a small-business owner, longtime presidential adviser and former executive director of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, said he wasn’t surprised by findings of the Urban League, an organization that he says lacks political balance.
“It’s OK to have a political opinion,” LeVell said. “But it’s not fair for any group to present itself as nonpartisan when it’s clearly not. These organizations are 99% Democrat-run, so of course you’re going to get a biased perspective. They wouldn’t say this if Biden were still in office.”
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But since returning to the White House after the contentious 2024 election, Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in businesses, schools and federal agencies.
The report asserts that DEI efforts are not fringe ideology but essential to ensuring equal opportunity in a pluralistic democracy.
“There is a state of emergency in Black America, and our report this year is both a warning and a rallying cry,” Morial said. “Democracy is under siege. What began as fringe attacks on racial equity has now become national policy.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The Urban League calls the Voting Rights Act of 1965 the “true birth of American democracy.”
For nearly five decades, it opened the door for greater access to voting rights — until that protection was dramatically weakened.
The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down key federal preclearance provisions, opened the floodgates for restrictive voting laws.
Subsequent rulings — including the 2023 decision overturning race-conscious college admissions — have further narrowed pathways for civil rights litigation and rolled back tools like mail-in voting and bilingual ballots.
“We’ve seen this before,” Brown wrote in an essay on voting rights. “Every time Black communities make progress in this country, there is an organized attempt to claw it back. But what’s different now is that we are more organized, more strategic, and more determined than ever. The most powerful tool we have is our ability to organize.”
In addition to defending voting rights, the report frames DEI as a cornerstone of modern democracy. It argues that such programs “protect and advance democratic ideals” by addressing systemic inequities and fostering inclusivity.
Morial is calling for urgent civic action — particularly in cities like Atlanta, New Orleans and New York, where pivotal mayoral and midterm elections loom.
In Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens is seeking a second term in November.
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
“What we face today is a deliberate, coordinated effort to deny the future of a more just and inclusive America,” Morial said. “And the architects of this effort have made their intentions plain: they would rather see our democracy crumble than cede power to a multiracial, equitable society.”
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
