Courtesy of Word In Black

When Donald John Trump takes the presidential oath of office for the second time, it will finalize an outcome that seemed improbable four years ago: the re-election of a twice-impeached insurrectionist and budding authoritarian who is now a convicted felon and purported sexual abuser. 

For MAGAland — Trump’s coalition of tech-bro billionaires, Christian evangelicals, white ultranationalists, and rural white voters — the inauguration validates their choice of the thrice-divorced, reality-TV businessman with four bankruptcies on his record to lead the free world. No small amount of gloating and flexing has accompanied his return to power.

For Black America — specifically, the 92% of Black women and 80% of Black men who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, then hoped or even believed she would vanquish Trump and make history as the first female president — Inauguration Day 2025 is the latest bitter pill white America has forced us to swallow.

With Republicans and Trump loyalists in control of all three branches of government, including a 6-3 Supreme Court supermajority, it’s not surprising Black people are worried about Trump 2.0. Given his racist campaign rhetoric, his habitual, blatant lying, and his chaotic first term (remember the Charlottesville rally? The botched pandemic response?), it’s easy to feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and maybe a little paralyzed with anxiety about what comes next. 

Feelings of paralysis, however, decrease when there is a plan of action. 

Keep in mind, Black people are no strangers to tough political times, and presidents have rarely been on our side. While Trump 2.0 takes us into unprecedented territory — and while it is tempting to check out and let white America reap what it has sown — don’t forget this is our country, too. Black America literally built this nation, and we should not give up without a fight. Our ancestors would demand it. 

But how do we fight for our rights and justice strategically — and win — when the game is rigged? How do we push back against corruption and avoid bargaining away our humanity? What does resistance look like when the other side seems to hold all the cards? 

We asked some of the most brilliant thinkers and doers of our time what the New Black Resistance will look like, and how you can do your part. Here are their answers as told to Word In Black. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity:

Dr. Uche Blackstock Physician and Author
“Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism in Medicine“

The challenges Black folks face today are nothing new. We’ve been here before, but the difference is how quickly the backlash came. In 2020, many knew that the corporations and businesses that posted black squares on social media and allocated millions of dollars for so-called DEI initiatives were never fully committed. At the same time, I admit that I had hoped that we would’ve seen some systemic changes. It’s been sobering, indeed.  

For me, this moment calls for community — and coalition building. We cannot get through these next few years alone. We must be together in purpose with each other to move forward. It’s time to steel ourselves, dig deeper, and work within our communities, for our communities.

As for health equity, Black resistance looks like intentionally focusing on community-centered models of care and funneling resources into HBCU medical schools and hospitals. Over the last four years, it’s become more than obvious that we are best served by serving each other. Not only that, but we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

The Black Panthers practiced community-centered care in the 1960s by offering free health clinics, breakfast giveaways, legal assistance, and sickle cell testing. They laid the groundwork for what we needed then and still need for our communities to be healthy — a more holistic idea of well-being. Additionally, we’ve seen how HBCUs have remained deeply committed to educating future health professionals in the face of the 2023 SCOTUS decision on race-conscious admissions. They still produce the most Black physicians. We should be supporting them more now than ever before.

Christopher Bouzy

Tech Entrepreneur
Founder and CEO of Spoutible and Bot Sentinel 

Resisting Trump 2.0 will come down to keeping the public informed with accurate information. That’s the only way that you’ll be able to “resist” — by constantly pushing back against the false narratives and lies that we’re going to see.

Resisting also means providing space. What I’m doing right now with Spoutible is providing a space for us — a space where Black and Brown folks can connect and talk about topics that, obviously, we need to talk about in an environment where we’re not being targeted or inundated with misinformation and disinformation.

Whether on Instagram, Threads, X, or even BlueSky, people are inundated with misinformation and toxicity. It is not good for your mental health. We’ve had quite a few people say that Spoutible has reduced their stress levels. They’ve stopped using other platforms, and they’re using Spoutible exclusively. It’s impossible to stop all misinformation or disinformation or all bad actors. But people just want to know that a company is actively trying to mitigate as much of it as possible.

Black folks need to get off of platforms that do not take their mental health and their safety into consideration. Close their X account. The safeguards that we’ve had in place are being eroded, and these platforms don’t care. I can’t say, well, stay off of social media completely because there are platforms like Spoutible that are trying to make a difference, but there are very few. 

AI worries me. Although there are positive uses, it has the potential to do a lot of harm by being able to create automated inauthentic accounts that could spread misinformation and disinformation, as well as AI-generated videos that craft false narratives — the list goes on and on.

Elizabeth Dawes

Director of Maternal and Reproductive Health
The Century Foundation

I absolutely believe that Black people in the Black community have the knowledge, the expertise to take care of ourselves when the government won’t or when our society won’t. I’m a firm believer that we have all we need. We have the power. We have the knowledge. We have the connections.

I wholeheartedly expect that as we enter into a new presidential administration and into new political times that aren’t favorable to Black people, that Black people will increase their organizing, increase the level of services that we provide to each other, and increase their activism. What’s happening now and what we anticipate will happen is certainly going to engage a lot of folks who have not been engaged in political space — community service, or activism in any way. We will see more of that, and we need to see more of that.

On the health note specifically, I don’t believe that solutions can be found where the problems are. Waiting for healthcare systems — for policy change — isn’t an ideal way to go, right? We have to have “both-and” solutions.

We have to work on long-term policy change, which is what I do at The Century Foundation, but we also have to take care of ourselves. That means I would love to see more Black individuals, including men, go through midwifery school, medical school, or other training that prepares them to be direct service providers. 

There are a lot of great people doing this work, but there are, again, really scary shortages in healthcare providers across the country. This is especially true in obstetrics and gynecology, so we need more of them. We didn’t come this far to come this far.

Tananarive Due

Award-Winning Horror Author 
Continuing Lecturer of African American Studies at UCLA

About two days before the election, I saw something on social media when someone said, ‘White women are going to have our back this election, right?’ I thought, oh my God, is that the plan? That’s what we’re counting on? I got this chilled feeling where I thought, no, they’re not. We have to take care of ourselves. 

Let’s not forget that we already know about self-sustenance in the face of adversity. That’s going to be the key for Black America — looking out for each other. For some families, that might just mean in your own home. For some other people, it’s your neighborhood, your community. I think a lot of people will find themselves stepping into voids, which is exactly what happened during the Civil Rights era.

Art is often an overlooked aspect of resistance, because art brings people joy, and joy is also an overlooked aspect of resistance. The first thing a tyrant wants to do is steal your joy and your hope. If there’s one thing I want to convey in my art, it’s that my characters somehow manage to hang on to hope, even against great adversity, and learn how to stand up.

Like my mother used to say, ‘History happens one person at a time.’ That’s a lesson all of us are going to have to remember during the next four years.

Chase Moore

Education Equity Advocate
Outgoing Special Advisor, U.S. Department of Education

I don’t know if the U.S. Department of Education will get dismantled. I don’t know if Congress and the president have the authority to do so. But what I can say is that it is extremely important that we leverage who we already are.

I think about all of the different relationships, organizations, and people doing amazing work in their own right. We had a partnership for the past year, and some change with Discovery Education, where I work specifically with the White House Black Initiative housed at the U.S. Department of Education. In this work, we’ve had the privilege to travel to six different cities and host an event called “Power Up.” That’s an opportunity to bring the power and the resources to the community, but also empower them, inspire them, innovate them, and provide information.

We connect with superintendents, local school board members, principals, and Black educators who’ve seen successful things and know the best practices. We advance those, advocate for them, and then provide policy recommendations. There’s no reason that say, a Power Up or a similar event can’t happen beyond the administration.

We have to be strong and understand the value that we already bring to the table. We have to really understand the role of local elections and the local school board. Anything that needs to happen, we have the power to do.

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad

Professor of African American Studies and Public Affairs
Princeton University

We’re already living in Trump’s world, where states are banning the truth about Black history. Now there’s going to be even more pressure to rewrite curricula and spread lies about America. Book bans will get worse, erasing stories where Black people are the heroes. I expect to see severe Black enrollment declines at predominantly white (colleges), the purging of Black studies programs, and even fewer opportunities to learn about race and racism at all. 

(But) Resistance in our DNA. Black history itself is a reservoir of inspiration. We’ve been here before. There is no American democracy without the Black freedom struggle. Black people have never stayed silent in the face of oppression, and we’re not going to start now.

Start book clubs. Organize freedom schools. Host workshops. We have the tools — resources like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Teaching for Change are out there. It’s about being intentional and not waiting for someone else to save us. We’ve faced erasure and censorship before — and we’ve always resisted.

The only way to freedom is to fight for it.

Dr. Faith Ohuoba

OB-GYN, Author, Coach, and Speaker

It has — and always will be — important for women to continue advocating for their own health by staying informed and involved in their healthcare. This may be the season of second opinions.

Black women should be increasing their awareness about “weathering” and its incredible impact on our health. “Weathering” means that we — Black women — are 7.5 years biologically older than our white counterparts due to various stressors including our environment, poverty, racial issues. Stress shows up in our bodies and in our DNA.

This political climate is a very stressful time for Black women. Because of this, Black women need to be extremely serious about their health. Black women need to choose a physician they align with on values, rapport, and trust. 

Black women need to make sure to ask questions. If you don’t get a clear response or the information you need, then ask again or rephrase your question. There is a difference between getting responses that you don’t agree with versus not being heard.  

Prevention is key, including understanding your current health state but also your family history. A mental health plan is important. It includes self-care, but also for some, it may also include having a therapist, scheduling regular time off, getting plenty of sleep. Black Women have historically shouldered the weight of the world and this year we need to advocate for rest.

Dr. Bahia Overton

Executive Director
Black Parent Initiative

My initial reaction was grave concern for the average Black person walking around. The election results highlighted the agenda of white supremacy, where economic hardship, rising grocery costs, or healthcare struggles didn’t matter as much to some as their sense of superiority. That was sobering to see.

No matter who’s in power, we have to support our families and continue the work. Historically, we’ve been through a lot, and this is no different. This is a time to come together and stop fighting for crumbs. We need to collaborate more because, in many ways, we’re all we got. We’re not fixing broken people. We’re fixing systems that were designed to break them. We know that students with at least 6,000 out-of-school learning hours thrive academically and behaviorally. For Black students, we’re pushing for 8,000 hours. That means mobilizing organizations and individuals to contribute —whether through literacy programs, STEM education, or arts and culture. We have to take ownership of our children’s education.”

Resistance doesn’t mean despair. It means recognizing what we already have — our abundance, collaborating strategically, and being unwavering in our commitment to our people. We can’t rely on traditional systems to do right by us. We must be unapologetic in demanding what our children need to thrive.

Dr. Artika Tyner

Founder of Planting People Growing Justice Institute

Root our resistance in literacy. Invest our time, talent, and treasure in increasing literacy in the Black community through a combination of engagement and advocacy strategies. The political climate under Trump has been marked by efforts to erase the teaching of Black history, restrict discussions on systemic racism, and ban books that center Black voices. Falling behind in literacy at this critical stage creates barriers to academic achievement and perpetuates cycles of oppression. By focusing on improving our literacy outcomes, we can create new pipelines to success. 

In a time when anti-Black policies and rhetoric are on the rise, grassroots efforts are just as important. Organizations like our literacy nonprofit Planting People Growing Justice Institute provide such a lifeline to combatting Black educational censorship that is sure to fester under a second Trump presidency. We’ve been at the forefront of promoting literacy engagement nationwide to foster learning and growth beyond the classroom, 

Organizing and mobilizing will be critical for cultivating Black educational resistance and literacy is central to the fight for justice. As Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Freedom and liberation are within our reach as we continue to inspire our children to learn, grow, and lead.

(Word In Black is a first-of-its-kind national newsroom powered by a collaboration of the nation’s leading Black publishers.)