Trump White House marks Black History Month while Defense Department declares 'identity months dead'

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump White House issued a proclamation Friday recognizing February as Black History Month around the same time the Defense Department issued guidance declaring "identity months dead.”

The conflicting messages came as President Donald Trump has been targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs for removal in the first weeks of his administration. He has referred to DEI initiatives as “discrimination” and insisted that the country must instead move toward a merit-based society.

The White House proclamation calls for “public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities," though there is no elaboration on what constitutes “appropriate.”

A news release from the Defense Department titled “Identity Months Dead at DOD" says official resources, including working hours, will no longer be used to mark cultural awareness months. Black History Month, Women's History Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month were among the events listed as now barred.

“We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics,” the Defense Department release read.

In his first two weeks in office, Trump has moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal DEI workers be put on paid leave before eventually being laid off. On Thursday, hours after a midair collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines plane killed 67 people just miles from the White House, Trump baselessly blamed diversity initiatives for undermining air safety, despite no evidence of that.

Gerald Ford in 1976 became the first president to issue a message recognizing February as Black History Month. Since then, presidents have made annual proclamations marking the month as a celebration of Black history, culture and education.

Trump's proclamation Friday specifically noted the contributions of abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, conservative economist Thomas Sowell and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. It said their achievements “have monumentally advanced the tradition of equality under the law in our great country” and are a continued inspiration.

The declaration also listed golfer Tiger Woods as an American great, saying he was among those who have “pushed the boundaries of excellence in their respective fields, paving the way for others to follow.”

“This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age,” the proclamation said, “I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration.”