Trump Wants To Undo Diversity Programs. Some Agencies React By Scrubbing Us History And Culture

The tails of the Alabama Air National Guard's F-35 Lightnings are painted red, like those of the Guard's F-16s before them. It's an homage to the famed Alabama-based unit of the Tuskegee Airmen , who flew red-tailed P-51 Mustangs during World War II.

The squadron, which trained in the state, was the nation's first to be comprised of Black military pilots , shattering racial barriers and racist beliefs about the capabilities of Black pilots. Their success in combat paved the way for the desegregation of the U.S. military, a story that is interwoven in state and U.S. history. Yet for a moment after President Donald Trump took office, that history was almost scrubbed by the Air Force.

The service removed training videos of the Tuskegee Airmen along with ones showing the World War II contributions of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots , or WASPs, at its basic training base in San Antonio, where airmen have passed through for generations.

Although the move was swiftly rescinded after a bipartisan outcry, the fact that it happened even momentarily is evidence of the confusion resulting from the avalanche of executive orders and other actions from Trump since he began his second term in the White House. The administration has been forced to walk back some actions that have caused widespread chaos , such as a memorandum freezing federal grants and loans.

The specific one that led to the Air Force decision also was met with with a mix of alarm and confusion over its meaning. The order calls for an end to diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government, including with any contractors or organizations that receive any federal money.