Gabrielle Gray, Ph.D.

Project 2025: What Black Women Need to Know

Researcher & Strategist, Gray Consulting

Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups, seeks to fundamentally reshape the federal government, with potential implications that could significantly impact Black women. The policy agenda promotes a new form of federalism that combines a state-centric approach with authoritarianism at the executive level. The anti-movement (anti - Black, regulatory, choice, equity, immigrant, environmental protection, etc.) has been successful in instilling fear in Americans. That fear and threat of attack has been explained by right-wing politicians in the media, in the courtroom and in documents such as the 1776 Commission which presented a nationalist curriculum similar to the governing agenda of Project 2025. Instead of succumbing to the potential threat, it is crucial that those who would be most impacted by the policies proposed - Black women specifically - be educated on what they can do to safeguard their freedom.

Project 2025 presents an agenda intended to undermine civil rights protections. As written, the document proposes policy changes and shifts in federal priorities that would have several negative effects on Black women in the United States. Areas of potential concern include:

Diminished Civil Rights Protections: Project 2025 calls for changes in civil rights enforcement that would undermine racial equality. Such effects would be seen in the prosecution of government agencies, institutions of higher education, corporations and private employers trying to proactively promote DEI policies. This would give space to discrimination and negatively impact many, Black women specifically, from seeking justice in cases of workplace and housing discrimination. In addition, there would be major blows to voting. For instance, the plan calls for criminalizing the voting process.

Reducing Healthcare Access: Project 2025's proposed changes to healthcare policy could significantly reduce access to reproductive health services (i.e., nationwide abortion ban and elimination of access to the abortion pill), maternal care, and overall healthcare equity for Black women. It is undeniable that pervasive racism in the healthcare field is an attributing factor to disparities in birth outcomes, as Black women, regardless of income, education or geographic location, are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions (McLemore & D’Efilippo, 2019). The health outcomes for Black women, such as during childbirth, will worsen under Project 2025. If implemented, the cutting of funding for essential services, elimination of lower prescription drug costs, and restrictions on access to health coverage (i.e., elimination of Medicare and Medicaid), including abortion services, would disproportionately impact women of color and low-income families (Dehlendorf et al., 2013).

Influencing Judicial Appointments: Project 2025's focus on influencing federal judicial appointments would lead to the appointment of judges with conservative views, even more so than we saw during the Trump Administration. This would potentially undermine legal protections for Black women. This could impact their access to justice and protections on critical issues such as reproductive rights, voting rights, employment discrimination, and broader civil rights, exacerbating existing disparities and limiting their legal recourse in areas where they face significant challenges.

Broaden Economic Disparities: Policy changes under Project 2025 that emphasize deregulation and reduced government intervention could worsen economic inequalities, particularly impacting Black women. With a focus on cutting support for initiatives like job training and small business assistance, and implementing tax cuts that disproportionately benefit White Americans, Black women—already facing significant economic disparities—might experience diminished economic security and fewer opportunities for entrepreneurship. In truth - Black women are lagging economically. According to the Urban Institute, Black women with a college degree earn less than their White counterparts without one, and unlike for White women - marriage or education does not help Black women close the gap (Watson & Biu, 2022). In the current state of our economy, households across the country are already troubled by rising costs and inflation; the proposals given in the plan would only widen economic gaps between White and Black people.

Project 2025's proposed changes to social services and welfare could severely impact Black women by reducing access to critical support systems. With plans to strip away protections related to voting rights, eliminate the Department of Education, and target Black borrowers with debt regulation reversals, this initiative risks exacerbating systemic inequalities. By advocating for cuts and restrictions in social programs—such as healthcare, education, and housing—that disproportionately benefit Black women, Project 2025 could create significant barriers to essential services and support for these communities.

The proposals presented in Project 2025 would essentially rollback the hands of time to an era prior to the civil rights acts. As the document’s primary goal is to maintain power in the hands of a small, White power elite, Project 2025 would socially engineer a society similar to post enslavement/Jim Crow of the past. We, as a people, have come too far and we still have a long way to go to reach a level where we are recognized and treated with the same rights and protections guaranteed in our country’s founding documents. It is essential to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing these threats to prevent detrimental outcomes and ensure that the needs and rights of Black women are safeguarded. Black women must stay informed and engage in not only the upcoming election, but beyond to mitigate negative impacts.

References

Dehlendorf, C., Harris, L. H., & Weitz, T. A. (2013). Disparities In Abortion Rates: A Public Health Approach. American Journal of Public Health, 103(10), 1772-1779.

McLemore, M. R., & D’Efilippo, V. (2019). To Prevent Women from Dying in Childbirth, First Stop Blaming Them. Scientific American, 320(5), 48-51. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-prevent-women-from-dying-in-childbirth-first-stop-blaming-them/

Watson, J., & Biu, O. (2022). You Can’t Improve Black Women’s Economic Well-being Without Addressing Both Wealth and Income Gaps. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/you-cant-improve-black-womens-economic-well-being-without-addressing-both-wealth-and#:~:text=Black%20households%20have%20just%2015,women%20without%20one%20(%248%2C000).