Trans Day of Visibility is taking on new meaning for Black trans and gender-expansive Americans as they navigate the political resurgence of President Donald Trump, who has made anti-trans and anti-DEI policies major features of his administration’s agenda.

Black trans and gender-expansive individuals find themselves at the intersection of communities that are being impacted after a slew of actions taken by the Trump administration, including moving to ban the existence of trans-Americans from sports, government websites, the U.S. military and even passports. Trump similarly eliminated diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs and policies throughout the federal government and has sought to pressure private companies to do the same.

The actions taken by Trump, advocates argue, have systematically sought to block transgender and people of color from access to everyday parts of life, including employment, health care, housing, and even access to clean water and air.

Despite the actions by the Trump administration, Black trans women leaders who spoke with theGrio say they remain “inspired” and even more determined to fight for visibility. 

“It’s even more fuel for those of us who are part of the trans and gender-expansive community to really be more visible and vocal today and really every day of the year,” said Tori Cooper, director of Community Engagement at Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization. 

“Our lives shouldn’t be political points,” she told theGrio. “The fact that we have a president and administration that is prioritizing our existence over the price of eggs or the price of gas or a living wage or even employment, I think, really says a lot about the power that our community holds.”

Jay Jones, who was elected Howard University’s first transgender student body president, told theGrio that looking to the past, trans and gender-expansive people have…

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When Jasmine Sessoms observed the political landscape, she was disheartened to see that practically no Black women worked in public policy. After successfully training Black women to run for political office in her home state of Pennsylvania through her “She Can Run” program—resulting in graduates like Cherelle Parker, who went on to be elected Philadelphia’s first female mayor—Sessoms decided she needed to go a step further.

“Without training us, investing in us, and connecting us, we really are struggling,” said Sessoms, a longtime political fundraiser who has served in various roles in government relations and higher education. “I was like, ‘You know what? I want to do something bigger than just training women to run for office because there are so many other facets.”

That’s where Center 1968 comes in. The center, named after the year Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, builds on the work of “She Can Run,” expanding beyond getting Black women to run for office to include training in policy to become staffers in political offices. The center even honors iconic Black women in politics with a fellowship named after former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and a staffer program named after Valerie Jarrett, the former senior advisor to President Barack Obama. To date, 13 women have graduated from the center, and a handful of them have been placed in jobs as policy experts.

Sessoms told theGrio that the center primarily seeks out women who are not necessarily politically connected. “We look for the community leader, the single mom that just is a block captain or a ward leader or a committee person…we put them into the system that was not designed for them.” She continued, “There’s a lot of nervousness and trepidation because everything they know about politics is just scary, bad…we make it more friendly.”

For those who are politically connected, Center 1968 provides a needed…

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Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC) held an in-person town hall in Asheville.

The crowd’s energy and passion were high as they had a chance to question Rep. Edwards.

The event took place on Thursday, March 13, 2025, from 6-7:30 p.m. at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium in Asheville.

A veteran who was justifiably upset by what this administration is doing was escorted out during the event. More than 2,000 people gathered outside of the Ferguson Auditorium, which seats only 360 people. Read the full story: Rep. Edwards addresses boisterous town hall crowd..

Live footage via WLOS.

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Democratic Rep. Al Green is standing on business, and other democrats in the House of Representatives are standing along with him. 

Earlier this week, Green made a bold move by interrupting President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress. The decision that ultimately led to his removal was in response to Trump’s seemingly false declaration of having a mandate to cut Medicare. 

“I was telling him that he does not have a mandate to cut Medicare,” Green told ABC News moments after his removal. “If there’s a punishment, I’ll accept the punishment. This is not about me, this is about the people who are going to suffer if Medicaid is cut, if social security is cut. We need to raise the cap on social security, we need to protect Medicare, and for God’s sake, don’t cut Medicaid, this is for poor people.” 

Today, the House of Representatives voted to censure Green for his actions on Tuesday night. For those unfamiliar with the political term, a censure is a formal mark of disapproval from the House, seen as a disciplinary action towards members for disorderly behavior. Censures are considered the second-most severe form of punishment for members of the House, with explusion being the worst. 

“Mr. Speaker, and still I rise,” Green said on the House floor, ahead of the censure vote. “and still I rise a proud, liberated Democrat, unbought, unbossed and unafraid.”

Following the vote, Democratic representatives like Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib stood at the center of the House floor, singing the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” according to ABC News. 

“We know that we’ve seen [far-right Rep.] Marjorie [Taylor Greene] yell at Joe Biden. There was no outrage. None. So there shouldn’t be any outrage today,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett told the outlet 

In an interview with HuffPost, Crockett shared, “I think people lose context of who Al Green is. Al Green is an older Black…

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On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Rep. Al Green disrupted Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.

United States President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday was met with vocal and symbolic opposition from Democrats, who used various forms of protest to express their dissent.

The 77-year-old congressman shook his cane at Trump during the opening minutes of the president’s speech, saying, “This president is unfit. He has no mandate.”

Republicans attempted to drown him out with “USA!” chants, but the Texas lawmaker continued to stand and shout at the president. Other Democrats present held signs with messages that were critical of Trump and his policies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson then directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove Green from the chamber.

Democrats Walk Out as Trump Speaks

Democrats Protest During Congress Address

The small signs held by Democrats displayed “Musk steals” on one side, while the other side read ‘False” in a protest to some of the President’s statements. Other signs said “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans.”

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“Tyranny requires compliance. Democracy requires courage.”

In his State of the State Address on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker noted that, “it’s in fashion at the federal level right now to just indiscriminately slash school funding, healthcare coverage, support for farmers, and veterans’ services. They say they’re doing it to eliminate inefficiencies. But only an idiot would think we should eliminate emergency response in a natural disaster, education and healthcare for disabled children, gang crime investigations, clean air and water programs, monitoring of nursing home abuse, nuclear reactor regulation, and cancer research.”

He recalled, ““Here in Illinois, ten years ago we saw the consequences of a rampant ideological gutting of government. It genuinely harmed people. Our citizens hated it. Trust me—I won an entire election based in part on just how much they hated it.”

Pritzker invokes specter of Nazi Germany in rebuke of Trump administration.

Gov. Pritzker went on to address the dangers of the Trump administration directly. “We don’t have kings in America,” he said, “and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one…. If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.”

He recalled how ordinary folks outnumbered Nazis who marched in Chicago in 1978 by about 2,000 to 20, and noted, “Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the ‘tragic spirit of despair’ overcome us when our country…

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President Donald Trump welcomed hundreds at the White House on Thursday for a Black History Month reception, where he was joined by longtime friend Tiger Woods and a cadre of Black Republican leaders.

“We pay tribute to the generations of Black legends, champions, warriors and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness,” said Trump to a crowd of enthusiastic Black supporters inside the East Room. At one point during the event, the room chanted, “Four more years!” in reference to Trump serving a third term — something he repeatedly hints at despite being constitutionally limited to two terms.

As the United States looks to mark the 250th anniversary of its founding next year, Trump said, “We’re going to look forward to honoring the contributions of countless Black Americans who fought to win and protect and expand American freedom from the very, very beginning.”

Throughout his more than 20-minutes-long remarks, in which he stopped to allow other Black leaders to speak, Trump touted his share of the Black vote in the 2024 election, vowed to include Black historical figures in a yet-to-be established statue park and announced that he would name Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as his “pardon czar.”

Trump was joined on stage by golf legend Tiger Woods, who wore his Presidential Medal of Freedom — which he received from Trump during his first term in 2019 — around his neck. Other prominent attendees included Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., Rep. John James, D-Mich., and the newly confirmed secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner. Alice Johnson, the Black grandmother who received a pardon from Trump in 2018 after serving 21 years in prison, was also in attendance.

Referencing the nation’s founding in 1776, President Trump swiped at the Biden administration, accusing them of trying to “reduce all of American history to a single year, 1619.” The year 1619 became a…

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Donald Trump is the president, but billionaire Elon Musk is the focus for thousands of Democratic activists launching a protest campaign this week to fight the Trump administration’s push to gut federal health, education and human services agencies.

Hundreds of protests are scheduled outside congressional offices and Tesla dealerships, with organizers hoping to send a pointed message to members of Congress who are on recess this week.

The backlash still hasn’t approached the intensity of protests during and after Trump’s first inauguration eight years ago. But a loose coalition of Democrats and progressives is coalescing around Musk’s rise as Trump’s top lieutenant and his purge of the federal bureaucracy.

“He’s a major weak link in the MAGA coalition,” Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, said of Musk. “I can’t think of something that polls worse than the richest man in the world is coming after your Social Security check or your Meals on Wheels or your Head Start.”

Indivisible, which claims more than 1,300 local chapters nationwide, is encouraging members to protest at the offices of their members of Congress, regardless of political party. The group also offered a step-by-step guide for protesting at dealerships for Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company.

The memo encourages protesters to stay on sidewalks and public spaces and to avoid any actions that might directly interfere with business operations, such as blocking entrances or trespassing on private property. It also calls for Tesla protesters to stay on message: “This is about Musk’s political takeover, not Tesla, SpaceX, or X as companies.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is launching what he’s calling “a national tour to fight oligarchy” with stops in working-class districts of Iowa and Nebraska this week.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin will hit the road for the first time as party…

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Crockett Catches Musk’s Scam!

Rep. Crockett breaks down how in the first DOGE Subcommittee hearing, Elon Musk is using DOGE to siphon taxpayer money right under our noses.

While the Department of Education and USAID lose vital funds, Musk is lining his pockets by funneling hundreds of millions in government contracts to his own companies. This isn’t just shady—it’s daylight robbery.
 

Jasmine Crockett calls out Marjorie Taylor Greene, Elon Musk during DOGE subcommittee hearing.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas spoke during the US House Oversight Committee’s “Delivering on Government Efficiency” or ‘DOGE’ subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Crockett called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for not attending improper payment hearings, and billionaire Elon Musk for his influence on President Donald Trump’s federal government.

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The Department of Government Efficiency’s access to the Treasury’s payment systems and USAID shutdown has sparked a lawsuit from federal workers’ unions, and promises of legislative actions by Minority Senate Leader Chuck Schumer.

Denied access to the Treasury Department, a contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied in Washington on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, denouncing what they called Elon Musk’s ‘unfettered’ access to its payment system.

Democrats protest against Elon Musk’s access to sensitive information.

A department official said the Treasury Department has given Musk’s group ‘read only’ access to its payment systems.

Warren Blasts Elon Musk’s Government Power Grab

Senator Warren’s remarks at the Department of Treasury, during a February 4, 2025 rally entitled We Choose to Fight: Nobody Elected Elon!

“No one elected Elon Musk to nothing. Not one Democrat in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Republican in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Independent in America voted for Elon Musk. Not one Libertarian voted for Elon Musk. Damn, not one vegetarian in America voted for Elon Musk. And yet, Elon Musk is seizing the power that belongs to the American people. We are here to fight back.”

Constitutional Crisis

Jasmine Crockett says ‘crisis is here’ amid treasury access.

A protest outside the US Treasury building in Washington demanded answers to DOGE’s illegal access to payment systems. Schumer referred to Musk’s efforts as a ‘hostile takeover.’ Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas spoke at the rally, saying constitutional “crisis is here” as Musk’s DOGE seeks to shut down USAID and gain access to Treasury payment systems. Crockett noted that elected officials seeking to enter the Treasury building were not allowed inside.

Nobody…

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