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BLACK HISTORY MONTH: CELEBRATING PROGRESS WHILE CONFRONTING
INEQUALITY  
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Dedrick Asante-Muhammad
February 5, 2025
Other Words
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_ Despite attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Black
political representation has never been greater. Progress is still
possible. _

Volunteers prepare food for voters in Black-majority precincts, whose
lines to vote can run 10-11 hours long, (Photo: Shutterstock)

 

I lead the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies,
America’s Black think tank. When we opened our doors in 1970, there
were only 1,469 Black elected officials in office across the United
States. Today, there are over 10,000.

These milestones are historic, yet they also compel us to confront the
sad reality that African Americans are still far behind their white
counterparts in terms of overall economic well-being and political
representation.

This duality — celebrating progress while recognizing the challenges
in front of us — defines the spirit of Black History Month for 2025.

While the growth of Black political leadership is encouraging,
representation alone doesn’t guarantee systemic change. And today,
even that progress in Black political representation is threatened.

Under the last administration, African Americans held 11 percent
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the highest ranking, commissioned officer positions within the White
House — nearly reaching our 14 percent share of the U.S. population.

The current administration, by contrast, has appointed only one Black
cabinet nominee, returning our country to the poor Black
representation of the 1980s. And following guidance from the White
House, many federal agencies have now canceled their Black History
Month celebrations
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But outside the White House, Black political representation has
reached historic highs.

Today, we have one Black governor, Wes Moore of Maryland — only the
third Black governor elected in U.S. history. We’ve set a new record
with five Black U.S. Senators: Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Lisa Blunt
Rochester (D-DE), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tim
Scott (R-SC). The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) now has 62 members
— its largest membership yet.

At the local level, Black political leadership is flourishing with a
record 143 Black mayors across the country. Black leaders are at the
helm of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and
Atlanta. These leaders are shaping not only their own cities, but
urban policy across the nation.

Economic progress has accompanied these political milestones. Black
Americans have achieved record levels of economic well-being in recent
years, including historically low unemployment rates, a median income
of $56,490, and median household wealth of $44,900.

But while these figures are encouraging, they remain overshadowed by
persistent racial disparities. White households, for instance,
maintain a median wealth of $285,000, highlighting the country’s
deep racial economic divide.

The African American tradition of struggle advances the entire nation.
In that spirit, we must continue to build coalitions that address
shared socio-economic challenges across racial and ethnic lines.
Economic security, the need for a living wage, access to affordable
housing, and moving communities out of asset poverty — these are the
battles that our historic number of Black elected officials must
continue to fight.

Recent attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
(DEIA) are another area demanding focus. We cannot allow the Trump
administration’s witch hunt for those who’ve advocated
opportunities for underrepresented communities to turn back the slow,
gradual progress in Black political power.

The Joint Center was born from the Black freedom tradition — not
from a desire for surface-level diversity, but from the need for true
systemic change. As we navigate these challenges, we draw strength
from this tradition and our remarkable progress.

The next two to four years present unique opportunities for
collaboration and advancement. While congressional power remains
fluid, with the Senate and especially the House narrowly divided,
strategic coalition-building can help us address persistent
disparities and create a more equitable future.

Let this Black History Month remind us that progress is possible, even
in the face of persistent challenges. Together, we can honor the
sacrifices of those who came before us and pave the way for a brighter
future for generations to come.

_Dedrick Asante-Muhammad is the President of the Joint Center for
Political and Economic Studies and an associate fellow of the
Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was distributed by
OtherWords.org._

_OtherWords is a free editorial service published by the Institute for
Policy Studies. Each week, we publish a package of op-eds and
columns, plus an original cartoon, and distribute them to readers,
editors, and publishers through our website and newsletter. Each year,
hundreds of newspapers and websites reaching millions of readers use
this work._

* DEI
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* Racial Inequity
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* Black History Month
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