Black Progress Erasure Threatens Democracy

A coordinated campaign to erase Black history threatens American democracy, report finds

A new report reveals a systematic effort to erase Black history and progress across America, with researchers documenting over 15,000 examples of harm to Black communities in just eight months.

Released last week by Onyx Impact, the report titled “Blackout: The Real-World Cost of Erasing, Distorting and Suppressing Black Progress” details how attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives serve as a smokescreen for a broader assault on Black advancement and democratic principles.

The comprehensive analysis identified $3.4 billion in federal grants cut or frozen and the erasure of 6,769 federal datasets containing research about Black communities – all part of what the authors describe as a coordinated disinformation campaign.

“This is not a distant dystopia. It’s happening now,” explain authors Esosa Osa and Kam Middlebrooks. They draw parallels to post-Civil War America, when Reconstruction’s promise of freedom was followed by the Nadir period, during which Black progress was violently reversed and history rewritten.

According to the report, the current campaign operates through three primary tactics: erasure, distortion, and suppression. The erasure component involves removing Black history from public consciousness, with 21 states engaging in 591 instances of banning books by Black authors or about Black experiences. The researchers also documented over 700 digital erasures and dozens of physical site changes across federal agencies.

“When we erase Black history, we erase the evidence of how democracy has been expanded, defended, and realized,” the authors argue. “We risk forgetting the very lessons that protect us from authoritarianism.”

The distortion tactic involves manipulating or sanitizing information about Black communities. Beyond the removed federal datasets, the report found evidence of rewritten narratives that replace factual information with ideological content, making it easier to justify discrimination and exclusion.

The final element – suppression – involves intimidating institutions and businesses into abandoning equity commitments through threats, investigations, and policy changes. The report documents 289 examples of such suppression, creating what the authors describe as “a broader environment of fear and uncertainty” that threatens open discourse.

The real-world consequences extend far beyond abstract cultural debates. The report details measurable economic and social setbacks: jobs lost, businesses closed, health programs defunded, and opportunities blocked – impacts that weaken the nation’s overall economic vitality and civic health.

Education policy expert Dr. Jarvis Thompson, who was not involved in the study, told reporters that the findings align with what educators are witnessing firsthand. “We’re seeing a systematic attempt to control the American narrative by removing certain voices and perspectives. This isn’t just about curriculum – it’s about who gets to define American identity.”

The report comes amid intensifying debates over how race, history, and identity are taught in American schools and represented in public spaces. Several states have passed laws restricting discussions of racial history or limiting diversity initiatives, often framed as protecting students from “divisive concepts.”

Business leaders have also noted impacts. The National Black Chamber of Commerce recently reported that Black-owned businesses have been disproportionately affected by cuts to federal programs designed to address historical barriers to capital and market access.

“This campaign has tangible economic costs,” said economics professor Alicia Williams from Georgetown University. “When we defund programs that address structural inequities, we’re not just harming specific communities – we’re limiting overall economic growth and innovation.”

The authors warn that allowing this campaign to continue unchecked risks repeating historical mistakes when democracy was undermined and rights rolled back. They call for active resistance to these tactics, arguing that “defending the full American story is the responsibility of every citizen who believes in democracy.”

Onyx Impact, the organization behind the report, was created to combat digital harm, amplify Black voices, and foster healthier online ecosystems. The report represents the first comprehensive attempt to quantify and analyze the nationwide effort to roll back Black progress through information manipulation.

“The cost of inaction will be paid not just by Black communities,” the authors conclude, “but by every American who values truth, justice, and democracy.”