It started with the attempt to make Matt Gaetz the Attorney General of the United States.
Despite lacking significant legal experience, Gaetz—better known for bombast and loyal soundbites than legal credentials—was chosen to lead the Department of Justice. It wasn’t about legal expertise or a proven record of upholding the Constitution. It was about unflinching loyalty.
That attempted appointment didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was the clearest early sign that politics would trump qualifications, experience, and even basic democratic norms in favor of loyalty and ideology.
And it has continued—relentlessly.
Earlier this week, I wrote The Erasure of Black History in the Name of an Assault on DEI about the Department of Defense removing Jackie Robinson’s story from its website. Robinson—a decorated Army officer, civil rights trailblazer, and American sports legend—was deleted from official history, part of a sweeping purge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) content. The Pentagon’s press secretary, John Ullyot, chillingly declared:
“As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department,” Ullyot said. “Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms.”
This wasn’t a quiet policy adjustment—it was a brazen attempt to rewrite American values.
And yet, this week, something remarkable happened: Jackie Robinson’s story was restored.
That reversal is more than a footnote. It’s a reminder that democracy is still alive when people speak out. When we organize, when we resist, when we refuse to let history be distorted or deleted, we can make change.
The Dismantling of Democratic Competence
Let’s talk about what’s really at stake here—not just bad appointments or offensive rhetoric, but the erosion of trust and competence in our democracy.
Take Darren Bossie, the newly appointed White House liaison to NASA. For the bulk of his professional life, Bossie was an assistant manager at a Total Wine & More in Palm Beach County, Florida. One senior NASA official, baffled by the choice, remarked: “That didn’t seem very promising.”
This is not a personal attack on someone who worked in retail. I worked at American Eagle in Briarwood Mall and two other jobs (cook and telemarketer) to pay my way through college. It’s a defense of standards in public service. If we want our institutions to work—for everyone—we must value competence, preparation, and lived experience. Elevating people solely based on ideological loyalty weakens every institution they touch, from NASA to the Department of Justice to the Department of Education.
It’s not just about scoring partisan points. It’s about protecting the integrity of public institutions, the people they serve, and the futures they shape.
Democracy Requires Remembering
Jackie Robinson’s story didn’t just vanish. It was deliberately erased. His courageous refusal to move to the back of a segregated military bus in 1944. His court-martial. His honorable discharge. His world-changing debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
All of that was deemed too “divisive” to remain on a government website—because it involved race, resistance, and the pursuit of equity.
But democracy requires remembering. It requires honoring the full breadth of our history—especially the stories that are uncomfortable or complex. When we erase those stories, we weaken the very foundation of our civic identity.
The Win That Matters
After public backlash, media attention, and an outpouring of protest, the Pentagon reversed course. Jackie Robinson’s profile was restored with its original URL. And just like that, we were reminded that truth can prevail when the people demand it.
This wasn’t about liberal or conservative. It was about truth. About democracy. About a shared commitment to remembering the people who made this country better, often against all odds.
Jackie Robinson wasn’t a partisan symbol. He was an American hero. And his story belongs to all of us.
Pushing Back—Together
We are now in a moment where the people must become the guardians of democratic integrity. When institutions are being hollowed out by unqualified appointments, when essential histories are being deleted, and when inclusion is framed as an existential threat, the only remedy is civic courage.
Not outrage. Not just hashtags or headlines.
Civic courage.
The courage to defend truth. The courage to organize across race, class, and party lines in defense of a democracy that works for everyone.
Because what’s being lost isn’t just “DEI.” It’s community. It’s representation. It’s the idea that government should be of, by, and for all of us—not just the ideologically obedient.
And What Comes Next?
If you’re still unsure of the direction this is going, consider this recent statement from Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick:
“Seniors won’t complain if they miss a Social Security check—they’re fraudsters.”
That wasn’t a gaffe. It was a glimpse into a worldview where citizens are disposable, truth is malleable, and the only thing that matters is control.
But we are not powerless.
We restore democracy when we push back. We preserve community when we refuse to forget. We protect the future when we demand competence, accountability, and equity from our leaders.
Jackie Robinson didn’t sit quietly. He stood up. He challenged injustice. And he made history.
Let’s not just admire that courage. Let’s carry it forward—together.