As Black History Month unfolds at SUNY New Paltz, the celebration of Black resilience, labor and history contrasts with broader national debates over Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). With President Donald Trump’s administration rolling back DEI initiatives, students and faculty are grappling with the implications while remaining steadfast in their commitment to honoring Black heritage.
The SUNY system reaffirmed its dedication to inclusion in a Feb. 3 statement from Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees. The statement recognized the 2025 Black History Month theme — ‘African Americans and Labor’ — established by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). ASALH annually determines themes that shed new light on Black history. This year’s theme explores the profound ways Black labor, “free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary,” has shaped American society. The SUNY statement underscored the system’s role in economic mobility and ensuring access to quality education for all. “Teaching the truth about our history is integral to SUNY’s commitment to academic excellence,” the statement read.
At SUNY New Paltz, students are taking that message to heart. The African Women’s Alliance (AWA), a student-led organization dedicated to amplifying Black voices, is at the forefront of advocacy on campus.
“I want SUNY New Paltz to truly include and uplift Black voices, not just when it’s convenient but always,” said AWA’s president and third-year early childhood education major, Kimberly Cadogan. She emphasized the need for greater Black faculty representation, expanded Black Studies courses, collaboration among Black-led organizations and increased support for Black students navigating a predominantly white institution. “Inclusion isn’t just about acknowledgment. It’s about action, respect and showing up for us the way we consistently show up for this campus.”
These concerns are growing amid federal policy changes. In January, Trump issued Executive Order 14151 titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” which directs the termination of DEI initiatives within federal agencies. Soon after, the U.S. Department of Education announced actions to eliminate DEI-related policies, including removing references to them in public communications and within its workforce.
These developments have left students like Keyanna Pemberton, AWA’s public relations specialist, feeling disheartened. “DEI policies were put in place to ensure people of color have equal opportunities and access to environments others already benefit from. Tampering with these policies undermines the very purpose they were designed for: to promote fairness and inclusion,” she said. “As a Black person, it’s scary to think about.”
For faculty members like assistant professor of Black Studies Shelton Johnson, these challenges are nothing new. “Black Studies is a threat to the foundations of this nation because it forces an acknowledgment that America is built on genocide, slavery and capitalist exploitation — not freedom and democracy,” he said. Johnson argues that attempts to erase race-conscious education are part of a broader ideological movement to control historical narratives and suppress discussions about systemic inequality. He said this subverts conversations about “voter suppression, mass incarceration, the rollback of civil rights, anti-immigrant policies and the continued expansion of corporate and state power at the expense of marginalized communities.”
Johnson also emphasizes Black history is about both the past and future. “Our history here in the Hudson Valley is one of rebellion, defiance and community-building in the face of white supremacist violence,” he said. “We need to elevate the stories of Black resistance: the enslaved people who burned down plantations, the free Black communities that formed in defiance of racist laws, the organizers who built labor movements to challenge the exploitation of Black workers. And this history is not over. The mechanisms of white supremacy have simply shapeshifted. Teaching this history isn’t just about understanding the past; it’s about recognizing the ongoing struggle and picking up where our ancestors left off.”
Vice president for Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer on campus Tanhena Pacheco Dunn maintains the university remains committed to DEI. She highlights initiatives such as the Educational Opportunity Program, the Scholars’ Mentorship Program, AC² and the upcoming Intercultural Resource Center. “New York State and SUNY remain strongly committed to the values and principles of DEI,” Pacheco Dunn said. “We remain focused on preparing our students for careers and civic involvement in a diverse world where critical thinking skills and the ability to engage across differences are essential for their success.”
However, she acknowledges there is room for growth. “We can always do more to diversify our faculty and staff, retain faculty of color, instill a sense of community where all students feel welcomed, supported and succeed academically and contribute to a diverse and ever-changing global society where intercultural competencies will be a critical tool.”
To honor Black excellence and resilience, SUNY New Paltz is hosting events throughout February. The Department of Black Studies held its annual Black History Convocation on Feb. 19, featuring Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado as the keynote speaker. Delgado, a former US congressman and the first person of Afro-Latino descent to hold the position in New York, embodies the theme of Black leadership and labor.
At the same time, Johnson argues persevering and expanding Black history extends beyond institutional efforts. “Black history has never been handed to us — it has been smuggled, whispered, coded into songs, hidden in stories, passed down in secret and preserved through acts of defiance,” he said. “We must create parallel institutions — radical community-led education, underground libraries and digital platforms that make Black history accessible to everyone, regardless of state censorship. We must push for education that is not just diverse, but decolonized; not just inclusive, but revolutionary; not just about representation, but about power.”
As students organize and the institution reaffirms its commitment to diversity, questions remain about the long-term sustainability of DEI efforts. “Supporting Black students goes beyond Black History Month,” Cadogan said. “It’s about showing up for us consistently. True support means not just standing with us, but learning with us, understanding our history, engaging with our culture and helping build an environment where we can all thrive together.”
As DEI initiatives face political headwinds, SUNY New Paltz has an opportunity to set an example: not just to acknowledge Black history, but to support Black futures. “This kind of systemic change is not simply an issue for Black people to change in this village of humanity; it is an issue for all people,” said visiting lecturer in the Department of Black Studies Anthony Dandridge.
Johnson encourages students and community members to remain engaged despite the challenges. “Hope is not passive. Hope is struggle. Hope is the knowledge that we have won before, and we will win again if we are willing to fight for it,” he said. “Every generation has a choice: to accept the world as it is or fight for the world that should be. Our time has come now.”