Donald Trump walked back into the Oval Office with a playbook that’s proven dangerous for Black families across Michigan. His first 100 days haven’t just tested democracy—they’ve tested the dignity of Black life. From slashing access to healthcare to gutting education equity and fueling economic instability, this administration has once again made Black communities collateral damage in its pursuit of power.
Progress Michigan’s latest research puts the spotlight exactly where it needs to be: on the consequences. The organization released a detailed analysis paired with statewide polling that captures the fear, frustration, and fight that have taken root among Michiganders—particularly those who carry the generational weight of being last in line and first in impact.
The cost of Trump’s return cannot be separated from race. That truth shows up in every policy decision. Medicaid supports nearly 2.4 million Michiganders, but when you zoom in, it’s clear who carries that burden most—Black families, Black children, Black seniors. Over 39 percent of Michigan’s children rely on Medicaid, and many of those children live in Black households where healthcare has never been a given. It’s been a fight. Trump’s push to gut Medicaid and redirect funds to the wealthiest Americans isn’t a policy—it’s a threat.
Food security is also under direct attack. SNAP benefits touch the lives of nearly 1.5 million residents in this state. More than half are families with children. These numbers include the countless Black mothers and grandmothers across Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, and Inkster who keep refrigerators stocked through prayer and strategy. Trump’s budget proposal cuts $1 trillion from programs like SNAP to bankroll tax breaks for the elite. When policymakers make cuts from the bottom to build the top, it is always Black communities that bleed first.
Education, long marketed as the bridge to opportunity, is being burned at both ends. Trump’s move to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education strikes directly at schools already struggling under the weight of historical disinvestment. Michigan stands to lose $4.5 billion in federal education funds—money earmarked for students who are rural, disabled, homeless, or low-income. That includes $531 million in Title I funding, $503 million in special education, and $425 million for Head Start.
Those aren’t abstract figures. They are the programs that wrap around Black children from neighborhoods like Brightmoor and Northwest Detroit, where the school building is more than a place of learning—it’s a safe haven. Without these supports, children are left vulnerable in systems that were never built to protect them in the first place.
Head Start’s funding supports over 27,000 children and nearly 2,400 educators across Michigan. That network includes Black teachers who often serve as the first affirming adult presence in a child’s life. It includes Black parents who rely on the program to go to work, finish school, and create better outcomes for their families. When that funding is threatened, the very foundation of early childhood development is shaken.
And yet Trump calls this leadership.
On the ground, Black workers are paying the price of Trump’s economic failures. Over 81,000 unemployment claims have been filed under his leadership in Michigan. More than 1,300 people have been laid off. That ripple effect hits Black workers—particularly Black women—hardest, as they are often overrepresented in service industries and under protected by safety nets.
This administration’s failure to manage the economy, combined with rising tariffs, has caused the cost of everyday goods to climb. Black households already navigating wage gaps and wealth disparities now face deeper financial strain. From groceries to gas, the dollar doesn’t stretch like it used to— while the administration offers no path forward. Instead, it doubles down on policies that reward wealth and punish working families.
Public sentiment is shifting. Progress Michigan’s polling shows that more Michiganders now believe their quality of life has declined since Trump took office. That belief is rooted in lived reality, not political theory. Two-thirds of respondents want Congress and the courts to step in. More voters say they support candidates who push back on Trump’s agenda.
The damage doesn’t end with budgets and benefits. Civil rights are under siege too.
While Trump celebrates, communities mourn. The market is down. Consumer sentiment is at its lowest in years. Families once on the cusp of financial stability are now sliding backward. The administration has not delivered relief—it’s delivered regression.
The storm is showing up on Michigan campuses too. At the University of Michigan, over 300 people marched last week to demand the reinstatement of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The university’s decision to dismantle DEI 2.0, shutter the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and cut the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion sparked immediate outrage. Protesters wore navy shirts that read “#WeAreDEI,” and carried signs that called out the institution’s abandonment of its stated values.
Robert Sellers, UM’s first diversity officer and a professor of psychology and education, minced no words. “I want to make sure that we understand that not only have we violated our values as an institution, perhaps even worse, is we’ve simply given up common decency.” He called the move a publicity stunt and criticized the administration’s lack of engagement with both the community and experts.
Statements from protest leaders were delivered to University President Santa Ono’s residence and the Ruthven Building. Faculty Senate passed four resolutions on April 17, calling for the reinstatement of DEI programs and rehiring of terminated staff. One resolution also urged the university to work with other Big Ten schools to form a defense pact around academic freedom and institutional integrity.
Public Affairs Director Kay Jarvis confirmed the university is working with national groups like the Association of American Universities and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. She claimed the effort was meant to advocate for higher education broadly, though protesters said those words fell flat without visible action on campus.
During the protest, Black Student Union member Nicholas Love gave voice to what many felt. “Over time, I learned the difference between words and action, between mission statements and moral courage, between listening and truly understanding.” He called the dismantling of DEI “a betrayal.”
UM has yet to release the number of jobs cut as a result of the decision. Organizers say that doesn’t erase accountability. They’re not backing down. “Keep going, keep building and keep showing up,” Love urged. “We’re the ones we’ve been waiting on. We are the movement, and we’re just getting started.”
This moment in Michigan is about more than politics—it’s about people. When education, food access, healthcare, and economic stability are stripped, communities suffer. When institutions walk back their commitments to equity, they signal who they’re willing to leave behind. The polling, the protests, the policy cuts—they’re all connected.
The cultural heartbeat of Michigan’s Black communities cannot be separated from their political reality. Trump’s first 100 days have made clear that his priorities lie far from the survival and success of Black Michiganders. From stripped benefits to abandoned students, this administration has targeted the most vulnerable while rewarding the most powerful.
And yet, communities are not silent.
From the streets of Ann Arbor to the steps of city halls across this state, resistance is building.
Ken Martin, DNC Chair, laid it out: “Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been a complete disaster for Michiganders. There’s a reason his approval rating continues to drop to record lows. Staring down the threat of a Trump recession, Michiganders are seeing costs rise, jobs dry up, Michigan projects shuttered, and hard-earned benefits and critical programs under attack. Across the board, Trump’s first 100 days in office have been devastating for Michigan. Democrats are organizing and fighting back, building power in Michigan community by community, block by block.”
This is the story of what happens when power is weaponized against the people who can least afford to lose. It’s a reminder that every policy has a face, and too often that face looks like ours.
So as Trump’s administration marks 100 days of devastation, Michigan’s Black communities are taking notes, taking names, and taking action. Because survival is not passive. It is strategic. It is loud. It is a necessity – as it has always been for us.
And it will not be ignored.
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