EXCLUSIVE: FEDS GO DARK ON MLK DAY AS TRUMP ERA PURGE HITS BLACK WORKERS HARDEST

By Rob Redding

Editor & Publisher

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2025, 7 p.m. — The federal government has gone silent on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and insiders fear it is no accident.

In an exclusive interview with Redding News Review, federal employees say agencies that normally announce “events,” reflections, or allow employees to leave “two hours ahead” of the holiday have issued nothing this year. The sources say workers who traditionally leave two hours early on Friday were told to expect a normal workday, and agency websites that usually highlight King’s legacy have made little to no mention of the federal holiday.

The sudden blackout comes as federal agencies undergo one of the largest workforce contractions in modern history. More than 300,000 federal employees have left government since President Trump returned to office, according to internal workforce data reviewed exclusively by Redding News Review.

The Department of Education has lost nearly 40 percent of its staff. HUD has lost almost a quarter. HHS, Treasury, and environmental agencies have also reported steep declines.

Many of the hardest hit agencies have historically employed the highest concentrations of Black federal workers. Analysts note that Education’s 40 percent reduction is more than triple the 13 percent share of Black Americans in the U.S. population. Workers say the cuts are reshaping the federal workforce in ways that disproportionately affect Black employees and the communities they serve.

The shift follows Trump’s public declaration that “DEI is dead” in the federal government. Since that announcement, diversity programs have been dismantled, civil rights offices have been reduced, and long‑standing traditions tied to King’s legacy have quietly disappeared.

Inside Education, the Office for Civil Rights has lost roughly half its attorneys, creating a growing backlog of discrimination cases. HUD employees say affordable housing programs are slowing as staff numbers fall. Workers at HHS describe entire sections of their offices sitting empty. Treasury staff say remaining employees are managing significantly increased workloads.

Federal workers who spoke exclusively with Redding News Review say the absence of King Day recognition is being viewed as part of a broader shift in agency priorities. They describe a workplace where long‑standing civil rights observances have been scaled back or eliminated without explanation.

As of Sunday evening, no federal department could be reached to issue a public statement addressing the lack of MLK Day observances. Employees say they have received no guidance on whether the changes are temporary or permanent.

Redding News Review will continue to track developments as agencies prepare for the federal holiday on Monday.

Rob Redding is the author of No. 1 best selling book Black Power in the Age of Artificial Supremacy Featuring Redding-Shim Kwet Yung . He is the bestselling author of 18 books. He is the host of Redding News Review Unrestricted and creator of ReddingNewsReview.com. He is also an emerging visual artist who lives and teaches at two colleges in New York City.