U.S. President Donald Trump’s Order Halts Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Including Instruction on Tuskegee Airmen
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Air Force has suspended instruction on a documentary about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots who fought in World War II, as a result of President Trump’s order to halt diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, a U.S. official said.
The Air Force also pulled a video about the Women Air Force Service Pilots, a group of civilian women who were trained by the U.S. military during World War II. The move is part of a broader effort to dismantle DEI programs, which were designed to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, and other underrepresented groups.
The decision to suspend the videos was announced on Saturday, and it came as the Air Force conducted a review of its course curriculum at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, where new recruits receive basic training. An official said that the videos were part of the curriculum that was being suspended, but they were not specifically targeted.
The halt in instruction on the Tuskegee Airmen and the women pilots is just the latest move in a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle DEI programs, which have been widely praised by civil rights advocates as a way to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.
The move has been met with criticism from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, who argue that DEI programs are necessary to address the systemic barriers that prevent many historically marginalized groups from achieving equal opportunities.
The Trump administration, however, has argued that DEI programs are inherently discriminatory and fail to prioritize merit. The administration has also sought to purge the U.S. military of officers who support DEI initiatives, which they see as a distraction from war fighting.
As the controversy surrounding the halt in instruction on the Tuskegee Airmen continues to unfold, the Air Force has released a statement expressing its commitment to carrying out Trump’s orders and implementing the Executive Orders.