Black people stayed home during nationwide protests, but why?
You all must have seen videos and photographs from the nationwide “Hands off!” mass-action protests at state capitols, federal establishments, city halls and congressional offices.
People around the world took to the streets to voice their concerns about President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Elon Musk’s policies, and demanded “an end to this billionaire power grab.”
But did you notice something else? Did you find a large number of Black protesters? Scrolling through hundreds of social media posts, I did not.
Googling the absence of Black protesters on April 5, I finally found an answer. Continuing the trend of being “unbothered” by what’s happening in the country, Black folks stayed home and rested.
Me, looking at photos of these protests for any black people pic.twitter.com/hYdkDudREX
— jj (@juhlissuhh) April 5, 2025
You must be wondering why. Popular TikTok personality Ashley The Baroness explained when Black people protest, they are targeted.
“This administration…they’ve let us know in no uncertain terms Black people in the street equals threat they’re looking for a reason to vilify us,” she said in a video. “They’re waiting for a headline to twist they’re hoping for a camera angle that’s going to justify their brutality…we’re not marching this time, we’re not going to give them the photo op that they so desperately want.”
Black people were asked to stay indoors to protect themselves. They were also reminded that about nine in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024. So, while protesters posted photos of their marches, Black Americans went to the spa, organized cookouts, or binged on old Martin videos. In myriad ways, they said, “We will sit this one out.”
Houston Community College’s nontraditional courses
The Houston Community College’s Communications Director, Donald Sparks, invited me to a press meeting on their campus. As an education reporter who has always wondered about courses that prepare students for career choices other than medicine, engineering and teaching, I was happy to see HCC offering a diverse array of nontraditional curricula for students. These include fashion and interior design, solar installer certification, culinary arts, construction management, barber/stylist, cosmetology and HVAC programs.
Located on HCC’s several campuses throughout the city, these programs can also address Texas’ high demand for skilled workers in construction, mechanics and agriculture. Ongoing infrastructure projects, residential/commercial developments and rebuilding efforts drive the need for a skilled workforce. Additionally, certificate programs are typically cheaper than college but pay a median of more than $30,000 annually, according to U.S. News.
Another notable initiative is the Community Learning Program, which offers free workshops and learning series for youth, adults and seniors aged 50 and above.
At times, a lack of awareness about these programs can prevent students from pursuing alternate careers. But, these programs can also be useful in equipping students with specialized skills that employers may be looking for.
The “Black Smithsonian” debate
Have you been following the “Black Smithsonian” debate? President Trump recently signed an executive order accusing the Smithsonian—specifically the National Museum of African American History and Culture—of pushing a “divisive, race-centered ideology.” While Trump calls it a move to “restore truth” to American history, critics say it is more about the erasure of Black history, wiping out the very foundation of this country sustained by Black labor.
The order says the National Museum of African American History and Culture is pushing a “divisive, race-centered ideology.”
Historians, civil rights leaders and Black lawmakers are sounding the alarm. They argue that the Founding Fathers enshrined slavery in the U.S. Constitution and declared enslaved people to be “three-fifths of a person.” They added one cannot talk about the nation’s story without talking about racism and resistance.
The order also shocked many critics. In 2017, at the start of his first term, Trump praised the National Museum of African American History and Culture, saying he was “deeply proud we now have a museum that honors the millions of African American men and women who built our national heritage.”
“It seems like we’re headed in the direction where there’s even an attempt to deny that the institution of slavery even existed, or that Jim Crow laws and segregation and racial violence against Black communities, Black families, Black individuals even occurred,” said Clarissa Myrick-Harris, a professor at Morehouse College.
