June 22, 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly instructed the Pentagon to take a “passive approach” to the Department of Defense’s messaging around the holiday.
After Donald Trump took a thinly veiled jab at Juneteenth on Truth Social—claiming workers wanted fewer “non-working holidays”—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly instructed the Pentagon to take a “passive approach” to the Department of Defense’s messaging around the holiday, which commemorates the effective end of chattel slavery in the United States.
According to Rolling Stone, in an email, the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs said it was not planning to publish any Juneteenth-related content. When the outlet reached out for comment, a Pentagon official clarified to Rolling Stone that the Department of Defense “may engage in the following activities, subject to applicable department guidance: holiday celebrations that build camaraderie and esprit de corps; outreach events (e.g., recruiting engagements with all-male, all-female, or minority-serving academic institutions) where doing so directly supports DoD’s mission; and recognition of historical events and notable figures where such recognition informs strategic thinking, reinforces our unity, and promotes meritocracy and accountability.”
Although the White House did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment, since Donald Trump’s return to office, the federal government has aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—purging high-ranking Black, female, and LGBTQ+ officials and scaling back the federal workforce. These efforts have undermined a long-standing pathway for Black Americans to achieve upward mobility in a system that has historically imposed, and continues to impose, a “Black tax” on communities of color.
According to the National Public Pension Coalition, Juneteenth provides another touchstone to examine what the current administration is doing to the Black federal workforce, undermining the now precarious Black middle class.
“This Juneteenth, as we reflect on the importance of freedom and opportunity, we must also recognize the threat these federal cuts pose to the very foundation of economic equality that public sector jobs have provided for Black families,” they wrote.
Shortly after his confirmation, Hegseth announced an end to all DEI programs at the Pentagon—echoing Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI initiatives across the federal government.
The Pentagon went on to cancel numerous longstanding cultural and historical observances, including events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Women’s History Month.
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