Following the 2026 NALP report, experts warn that the systematic dismantling of DEI policies under the Trump administration is reversing a decade of progress for the Black middle class.
By Mahalia Otshudy
(Source: Roots)
If there was any proof needed that President Donald Trump’s dismantling of DEI policies is working to harm the Black workforce, look no further than a new study from the National Association for Law Placement. The study shows the number of associates of color has fallen by a staggering percentage, making the barriers of entry harder for Black professionals…again.
According to the report, representation for summer law associates of color has fallen by 12.9% compared to last year, but it gets worse. According to the NALP report, which came out at the end of March, the percentage of summer associates of color within law firms was at a “record high” in 2024 but still below half at 43.07%. Now, that gap is even wider with a percentage of 37.53% in 2025.
DEI specialist Randi B has been ringing the alarm for some time now, but this proves what she has been saying all along: Trump’s plan to dismantle the Black middle class has been working like a charm.
“It’s at its lowest level since 2020,” she said of the data. “The percentage of associates of color had its first decline since 2010. Black associate representation is 3.1 percent lower than last year and is at its lowest percentage since 2015,” she said.
This comes just one year after the Trump administration dismantled DEI policies in the federal workforce. That move led to the loss of 300,000 jobs for Black women by August, and the Black federal workforce continues to shrink.
The federal workforce has historically been a stable source of employment for Black Americans. However, fewer have remained since Trump’s anti-DEI policies kicked in and the government implemented aggressive budget cuts in 2025. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Black unemployment is at the highest it has been since 2021.
The NALP’s latest report isn’t just a trend in one sector. Instead, it serves as unequivocal proof that the Black workforce is weakening at a fast rate, with the main reason being Trump’s anti-DEI tactics.
The National Association for Law Placement case study also states that the number of Black associates fell by 0.2%, representing only 6.18% of associates in law firms, the lowest figure since 2015.
However, Randi B pointed out that what is most concerning is not the figures given in the report, but the fact that the reality may be more shocking than we realize.
“The real numbers may be far worse. 230 fewer law offices than last year declined to provide any data at all,” she said.
In the NALP report, Executive Director Nikia Gray echoed Randi’s words, saying: “This new reluctance should concern all of us. Demographic data is not merely a collection of numbers. It represents real people, real experiences, and real disparities. The story of this era can be one of loss, retrenchment, and diminished visibility. Or one of principled leadership, courage, and renewed commitment to understanding the shifting portrait of our profession. The choice begins, though, with ensuring that the data does not vanish.”
Finishing her TikTok, Randi B noted that it is just one year of data from one industry, but it is enough to show that Donald Trump’s effort to set back Black folks is “working in spades.”
