The Defense Department’s intelligence agency (DIA) has issued a memo pausing all celebrations and observances related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Women’s Equality Day, and Women’s History Month.
The action was in direct response to Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government, marking a significant shift in federal policy regarding cultural observances and diversity initiatives.
This sweeping action has effectively put a stop to events that have been integral to the agency’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating diversity within its ranks and acknowledging history and American society at large.
Supporters of the ban maintain that marking remembrance of things like the Holocaust or Black History promotes “division” rather than unity.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, a key figure in implementing President Trump’s vision for the military, has directed staff to create a DEI task force with the explicit purpose of ensuring no DEI programs remain at the Pentagon.
Hegseth told Fox News: “We’re not joking around. There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”
The DIA told the AP in response to questions about the memo that it “is working with the Department of Defense to fully implement all executive orders and administration guidance in a timely manner. As we receive additional guidance, we will continue to update our internal guidance.”
Civil rights organizations, as well as some members of Congress, have voiced opposition to the ban on DEI and have suggested legal challenges to Trump’s executive order will be forthcoming.
