Statewide — Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) is pushing back against what he calls “ideological attacks” on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) following executive actions by President Donald Trump that dismantled federal DEI programs, targeted colleges and universities with programs geared toward supporting Black students, and erased historic references to Black figures on government websites.

In an exclusive interview with Inland Valley News, Jackson framed the rollbacks as part of a broader national campaign to undermine civil rights advances and suppress Black history.

“President Trump’s actions are not neutral policy shifts,” Jackson said. “They signal a deliberate, dangerous effort to turn back the clock on the hard-fought gains of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Jackson’s remarks come amid a wave of federal efforts initiated under Trump’s administration, and sustained by his allies in various states, to ban race-conscious policies, restrict school curricula that discuss systemic racism, and remove DEI-focused positions across federal departments.

In recent months, content referencing the Tuskegee Airmen, Jackie Robinson and other Black historical figures has disappeared from military and government websites, fueling criticism from historians and civil rights groups alike.

“What’s happening at the federal level is not just censorship, it’s historical violence,” Jackson said. “This trend of erasing or downplaying the contributions of Black Americans represents a deliberate attempt to distort our collective memory and sanitize the legacy of white supremacy.”

Jackson, who chairs the Assembly Human Services Committee and the Budget Subcommittee on Human Services, is positioning California as a stronghold against these national trends.

Among Jackson’s most prominent initiatives is Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7 (ACA 7), which seeks to restore race-conscious strategies in public policy and embed equity into the state Constitution.

“Equity is not a buzzword,” he said. “It’s the foundation of justice, and we legislate accordingly.”

According to Jackson, ACA 7 is designed to target systemic inequities, particularly those impacting Black Californians, and to ensure that state agencies can deploy culturally competent, data-driven approaches to close gaps in education, health and housing.

He also pointed to Assembly Bill (AB) 1078, which he authored to prohibit book bans and safeguard inclusive curricula in public schools.

The bill was introduced in response to growing efforts across the country to remove books dealing with race, gender identity and historical inequality.

“Our children deserve to know that Black history is American history,” Jackson said. “And we will not let political cowardice erase that truth.”

In a sharp rebuke of the President’s decision to issue DEI rollbacks during Black History Month, Jackson called the move “performative cruelty wrapped in policy.”

“To gut DEI initiatives during Black History Month is a calculated move meant to remind us who holds the pen and who gets erased from the page,” he said. “But our history is too rich, our resilience too deep and our future too powerful to be undone by an executive order.”

As conservatives in several states continue pushing legislation to dismantle affirmative action, Jackson is doubling down on what he calls “policy permanence.”

In addition to ACA 7 and AB 1078, Jackson is championing a series of measures to fortify California’s commitment to equity.

Among them is AB 449, which mandates a statewide anti-discrimination campaign, and AB 317, the California First-Time Homeowner Dream Act, which aims to remove barriers to affordable housing.

He also led the charge on ACR 2, which declared racism a public health crisis and established March 21 as the state’s official day to recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“These policies aren’t just bills,” he said. “They’re a blueprint for lasting equity in California.”

Jackson acknowledged that California’s progressive reputation doesn’t make it immune to the influence of national politics.

He warned that Trump-era policies and rhetoric have emboldened extremists at all levels of government, from school boards to state legislatures.

“In California, we have built some of the most progressive DEI frameworks in the country, but the implications of these rollbacks are still profound,” Jackson said. “These actions embolden extremists who want to dismantle equity work at every level. That is unacceptable.”

For Jackson, the defense of DEI and Black history is not merely reactive, it’s an affirmation of identity, truth and the future of a more inclusive California.