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President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address touted a “Great American Comeback” for some, but falls short on most pressing racial justice concerns for Black Americans

WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump delivered the third State of the Union address amidst his Impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate and his last before the 2020 election. The speech laid out an agenda that continues to be detrimental to Black Americans and people of color.  

“President Trump claims that we’re in the midst of a ‘Great American comeback’,  but to many people of color, it’s been a setback,” said Kristen Clarke, President & Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “From his inability to address that Black unemployment is still nearly double the national average, his administration’s hostility on issues like fair housing and educational opportunity, to his meritless decision to expand the travel ban, the President’s agenda continues to pose a threat to our democracy.”

Clarke continued, “President Trump referenced Dr. King and Selma in his speech, but this administration’s policies run contrary to what the man and the event strove to achieve: voting rights, economic mobility and social justice. Moreover, Trump’s silence on crises such as hate crimes, and the rise in white supremacy was deafening.”