Lead Stories

Black Voters Matter and the King Center Unite to Create New Generation of Activists By Barrington M. Salmon

April 22, 2025

King Center Sign

PHOTO: National Park Service

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Now that Donald Trump is back in the White House, he has moved with all deliberate speed to dismantle all the hard-earned Civil Rights, social and economic gains African Americans struggled and fought for over the past 60 years.

He and other members of the regime claim that White Americans; especially White men, are discriminated against, contending that “there’s absolutely a bias against white people.” This is despite data from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that shows in 2022 anti-Black hate crime was the most common category in the FBI register of reported hate crime.

The anti-Black numbers are at least three times more common than anti-white hate crime. Trump has promised to levy taxes and fines against schools he deems “too woke,” and he has signed a flurry of executive orders during the early days of his administration destroying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in business, higher education, government and the workplace.

Trump and significant swathes of his MAGA base have also attacked critical race theory (CRT); pressured and bullied anyone who talks or teaches about the presence of persistent and pervasive systemic racism in America. Meanwhile, Republican governors, policymakers and state legislators are busily creating and passing laws erasing and whitewashing Black history in coursework and curricula across the country.

As they always have, Black people are fighting back. In response to these assaults, leadership of Black Voters Matter and the Atlanta-based King Center have announced a new partnership designed to fight against anti-Black policies, Trumpism, and others intent on marginalizing African-Americans.

“This collaboration brings together Black Voters Matter’s grassroots organizing power with The King Center’s rich historical and educational legacy to explore one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most powerful texts,” King Center CEO Dr. Bernice King said in a press release.

In the press release, King said the series – scheduled to begin in May this year – “aims to bring the profound wisdom of Dr. King’s 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail to a new generation of activists and offer insight into how these teachings can be used to address the critical issues facing Black and marginalized communities today.”

This series will feature both virtual and in-person workshops.

Details of the new initiative was revealed in a media briefing hosted by Black Voters Matter and moderated by former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid.

Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, said during a recent Zoom call marking the 62^nd anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s landmark Letter from a Birmingham Jail and announcing the new initiative that social justice and civil rights activists must consider “new and old tactics for a new and different time where we’re experiencing greater oppression.”

“We are excited to partner with The King Center on the new series, MLK’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail: A Prophetic Guide to Power, Love, Protest, and Liberation,” Albright said. “Sixty-two years later, Dr. King’s powerful message is still relevant and as urgent as ever as the anti-Black policies of extremists threaten to undo progress for Black and marginalized communities. We understand that direct action is a necessary tool to build power for our people.”

The participants shared ways how Black Americans can grab and capitalize this existential political moment.

“This letter isn’t just about the America that was – it’s about the America that we’re still fighting to create. When we teach this letter to a new generation, it’s not just about history; it’s about reimagining an America that truly delivers on its promises for all people,” said BVM co-founder LaTosha Brown.

Albright, King and Brown said using King’s letter as a framework, the course “will ground participants’ understanding of today’s social justice movement through the exploration of four key themes, including civil disobedience, the distinction between just and unjust laws, the White moderate, and the role of the church within movements for change.”

“This series offers more than a reflection—it offers a blueprint for hope, resilience, and action. The goal of this series is to provide both historical context and practical tools to navigate the ongoing fight for justice,” King added.

She said the course will explore four key themes, including civil disobedience, the distinction between just and unjust laws, the White moderate, and the role of the church within movements for change.

“At this juncture in history, my father’s seminal writing, ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ is both relevant and revelatory. Written in the spirit of Kingian nonviolence, the letter encompasses the mindset and methods necessary for challenging inhumanity, changing practices and policies, and creating a just, humane nation and world. The King Center looks forward to working with Black Voters Matter to host experiences that explore the mindset and methods upon which Daddy expounds in ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ I invite you to join us and encourage you to invite others.”

Rather than seeing the administration’s war against Black people, his anti-Black rhetoric and policies and laws as a setback, Brown said, it should be viewed as an opportunity.

“I’m scared and angry but it’s clear that Black folk aren’t going anywhere,” Brown said. “Folks are organizing, people on the ground are resisting. We are not centering on those who oppress us. This is not a moment to surrender but to reflect [and] protect our people and reimagine what our community should look like, organizing and fortifying our communities.”

Brown said the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts, DEI and Affirmative Action never fully encompassed the fairness, justice and equity Black people demand.

“Some of us actually believe that what we have has never been enough,” Brown said of DEI and Affirmative Action policies that Trump, Republicans and the US Supreme Court have eviscerated or overturned DEI policies,” said Brown. “The goal has always been more than racial tolerance. We have always been fighting for crumbs at the table,” he said. Instead we “must create the kind of North Star around what it is that we want for our communities.”

King’s non-violent philosophy infuses everything Black Voters Matter is about.

“In a climate already rife with division, it is crucial to focus on policies that address our society’s most pressing issues while upholding the dignity of even our staunchest political adversaries. The current political environment, marked by heightened polarization and frequent personal attacks, calls for a renewed commitment to respectful discourse,” the BVM website said. “As we move forward, we must remember that participating in the democratic process is not merely about casting votes but about reaffirming our commitment to a more just, humane, equitable, and peaceful world. By engaging in constructive dialogue and respecting each other’s personhood, we can work toward solutions that benefit all and strengthen the very fabric of our democracy.”

By focusing on constructive dialogue and respecting one another’s personhood, we can work toward solutions that benefit all and strengthen the very fabric of our democracy, BVM said. “This approach not only addresses the immediate challenges but also fosters a more inclusive and cohesive society in the long term. With this mindset and commitment, we move closer to realizing the Beloved Community.”

Democratic pollster Terrance Woodbury offered post-2024 election data on Black voters’ attitudes about the state of the country and their role in it.

Woodbury, founding partner of research and polling company HIT Strategies, said Black voters following the 2024 presidential elections have little trust in systems that aren’t working for them and are also losing faith in their ability to change them.

“For folks who have had inadequate results from the system–whether that system is democracy, whether that system is politics, whether that system is the financial system, the health care system–people don’t want to defend those systems that have otherwise failed them,” he said.

A December 2024 survey conducted one month after Trump’s re-election reveals a sharp, and what Woodbury characterizes as a historical low among Black voters and the belief that their vote can make a difference in their communities. In 2020, a year that saw national uprisings over racial injustice led by the Black Lives Matter movement, Woodbury said, 73 percent of Black voters believed in the power of their vote. However, by the end of 2024, that number tumbled to 25 percent.

“Black people’s perception of how their political power has dipped to 25 percent. It’s been the lowest since measuring began,” Woodbury explained. “We lost on election day and we’re losing rights and hard-fought freedoms. But resistance is showing up in different ways. Fear is contagious, so is courage.”

One of the best examples of power is a collective movement, Woodbury said, adding that Democrats are unable to communicate with Black people on social-cultural issues and despite public opprobrium for the system, Democrats continue to defend the system and offer no reason for people’s pain.

In the aftermath of the conversation, Albright and Brown reiterated their belief that despite troubling reverses Black Americans have experienced, this time presents an opportunity to rebuild and expand their political power in ways we haven’t seen. It is crucial for African Americans to resist Trump’s agenda, find ways to close the racial equity gaps and transform American society.

Said Albright, “We embrace non-violent civil disobedience. We are grounding ourselves in these tactics, work, science and tactics of non-violence. We’ll have coalitions, take it to the streets, organize marches and sit-ins.”

Radio Hosts in Major Cities Join Campaign to Reduce Black Overdose Deaths

April 22, 2025

mil don black

Don Black of Milwaukee

Detroit Big Dawg

Big Dawg of Detroit

philly colon

Adimu Colon of Philadelphia

Philly Dredd

Mikey Dredd of Philadelphia

NEW YORK, NY – Six radio hosts in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Detroit are channeling their voices and energy to the You Have the Power to Save Lives campaign. As overdose has risen to become the leading preventable cause of death among Black adults in the US, the collaboration of local and national leaders seeks to promote public uptake of the overdose-reversing medicine, naloxone, in the community and raise awareness of its benefits.

The hosts recently hit the radio airwaves with strong messages advocating for Black communities to get free naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, available in their neighborhoods. Participating in the campaign are:

Ø Philadelphia hosts, Mikey Dredd, Morning Host of the Rise & Grind Morning Show on Power 99 WUSL, and Adimu Colon, Host of the Quiet Storm on 105.3 WDAS FM

Ø Detroit hosts, Bushman, the PM Drive host on Mix 92.3, and Bigg Dawg Blast, the PM Drive host on FM 98 WJLB

Ø Milwaukee hosts, Don Black, midday host and Program Director of Milwaukee Radio Group’s Jammin' 98.3 WJMR, and Trey White, afternoon drive host of iHeartMedia’s V100.7 FM

Having lost friends and relatives to drug overdose, the hosts’ narratives are authentic and powerful. Their messages resonate. To listen, go to the audio section in our website's newsroom.

The "You Have the Power to Save Lives" campaign launched last month in seven U.S. cities: Philadelphia, PA; Albuquerque, NM; Detroit, MI; Louisville, KY; Durham, NC; Milwaukee, WI; and Newark, NJ. The campaign, with its strong focus on community engagement, focuses on activating community leaders in Black communities to expand the availability and utilization of naloxone, a lifesaving, overdose-reversing nasal spray medication. At the heart of the campaign is a new website – YouCanSaveLives.org – where people can find out where to obtain naloxone near them, hear powerful, real-world testimonials, and take action to spread the word about the importance of naloxone.

Supported by public health organization Vital Strategies, the campaign includes more than a dozen community groups, health organizations, and local government agencies. Their efforts focus on establishing new naloxone distribution points in Black communities—including neighborhood gathering spaces and local health providers—to reduce stigma around carrying naloxone and empower individuals to save lives in the event of an overdose.

The campaign also released a report consolidating recent evidence that illustrates the need for urgent action to save lives. Overdose rates in Black communities have been rising for the past ten years, but have skyrocketed since 2020, when overdose rates in the Black population overtook rates in the white population.

Daliah Heller, Vice President for Overdose Prevention Initiatives at Vital Strategies, thanked the radio hosts for participating in the campaign, saying, “They have powerful voices that can help the campaign save lives. We are grateful for their participation.”

Further, Heller said, “We are cautiously optimistic about declining overdose death rates nationally, but after years of skyrocketing rates, the wide disparities experienced by Black communities are raising the alarm. Rates are higher among Black adults than their white counterparts; we urgently need equitable and focused strategies. This campaign is making lifesaving naloxone more widely available in Black communities.”

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by a strong public health system. Our overdose prevention program works to strengthen and scale evidence-based, data-driven policies and interventions to create equitable and sustainable reductions in overdose deaths in several U.S. states and local jurisdictions.

The National Black Harm Reduction Network is dedicated to advancing harm reduction principles that optimize health and wellness for Black people who are disproportionately harmed by public health initiatives, the criminal legal system, and drug policies.

U. S. Senate Gives Big Banks $21 Billion Gift from Consumers By Undoing Overdraft Rule By Charlene Crowell

April 7, 2025

Overdraft Rule Saves Billions Black Consumers Shopping Jan 1

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - While news headlines continue to focus on the chaos, confusion and legal challenges caused by the new administration’s recent changes, it could be easy to miss recent congressional actions that will cost consumers more than $5 billion annually in unnecessary and excessive bank overdraft fees

On March 27, a 52-48 Senate roll call vote the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) overdraft rule was overturned. It would have lowered the typical cost of an overdraft fee at very large banks (with at least $10 billion in assets) from around $35 to $5. The measure now moves to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to soon pass, and then reach the president’s desk for final action.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who chairs the chamber’s Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, sponsored a Congressional Review Act resolution that only required a simple majority to pass. Should the House concur with a second majority vote, large lenders could charge fees much higher than the actual cost of an overdraft to the financial institution. Following the Senate vote, Scott claimed a consumer victory – despite a wealth of research that documents massive and negative financial impact to consumers paying excessive overdraft fees.

“This overdraft conversation is a critically important conversation if you are like me, a guy who grew up in poverty, a single parent household, who understands the difficulty, the challenge, of single moms making those ends meet,” said Scott. “I want every single hardworking American to have access to our financial system.”

But access on what terms?

It is curious that Sen. Scott’s comments do not acknowledge how overdraft fees already disproportionately impact Black and Latino consumers.

“Black and Latino consumers are already four to five times more likely to be unbanked than white Americans,” wrote the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) in a comment letter supporting the overdraft rule. “They are also disproportionately likely to be ejected from the financial mainstream. Ejection from the mainstream financial system can have long-lasting and negative systemic effects.”

CRL urged senators to vote for the interests of consumers, not the profits of large banks.

“This legislation, which should be called the ‘High Bank Fees Forever Act,’ would block the type of price cut that Americans have been clamoring for,” said Nadine Chabrier, senior policy counsel at CRL. “The measure would deny hundreds of dollars of relief each year from reaching families living paycheck-to-paycheck while letting huge financial institutions perpetually price gouge these families.”

CFPB’s overdraft rule required bank fees to correspond with their actual costs and losses - instead of generating a revenue stream designed to boost bank profits. Also, by requiring bank account-opening disclosures, consumers would assured choices to compare offerings, and decide whether to pay overdraft fees automatically or manually.

A near 300-member coalition of national and state advocates in civil rights, labor, religion, higher education, and other areas are working to raise awareness about the need to continue CFPB’s consumer protections.

“The CFPB is an agency of the people. From the protection from junk fees, to fighting excessive overdraft fees, providing assistance to impacted victims of natural disasters, and holding predatory practices accountable, the NAACP stands firm in bringing back the CFPB,” said Keisha D. Bross, NAACP Director of Opportunity, Race, and Justice. "The NAACP will fight to hold financial entities responsible for the years of inequitable practices from big banks and lenders.”

“It is shameful that Republicans are effectively writing bonus checks to executives at the nation’s largest banks while ordinary people struggle with high prices and increased costs of living,” added Lauren Saunders, the National Consumer Law Center’s associate director.

“Banking charters were never supposed to be a license to rip people off, but unfortunately, many banks rely on gotcha penalty fees to pad their profits, effectively diminishing the difference between insured depositories and payday lenders,” noted Adam Rust, director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America. “Reversing this rule is a gift to banks, and if the House goes forward with their version, it will harm people for decades to come.”

As the measure advances to the House for further deliberation, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, posed an apt question to her colleagues:

“Whether you like the CFPB or not, it doesn’t make any sense to hike bank fees on 23 million hard-working families,” said the longtime lawmaker, “Why do you want to force them to pay $5 billion in more fees every year?

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-linkindex="7">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Former NBA Star and Civil Rights Activist Says Justin Baldoni Blocked Documentary by Michael Graham

Jan. 24, 2025

Justin Baldoni

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Long before actress Blake Lively publicly accused him of attempting to silence her about his problematic on-set behavior, actor Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer, were silencing a Black activist and former NBA star who wanted to tell his story.

Baldoni and Lively, who starred in the film “It Ends With Us,” have been making headlines for weeks, publicly battling over their private reputations. Lively’s lawyers say Baldoni and his Wayfarer team used a media smear campaign hoping to “safeguard against the risk of Ms. Lively ever revealing the truth about Mr. Baldoni.”

The actor responded with a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

In the case of legendary Chicago Bulls three-point shooter Craig Hodges, it was his truth, he says, that Baldoni and Wayfarer silenced.

To basketball fans, Hodges is the dazzling outside shooter who helped the Bulls win back-to-back championships during the Michael Jordan era and still holds the record for most consecutive shots made (19) in the NBA’s Three-Point contest.

For civil rights activists from the past 30 years, however, Hodges is known as something bigger: One of the few athletes of the previous era willing to use his talent and fame to promote social justice.

They know Hodges as the NBA star who showed up in a dashiki for the 1992 White House celebration of the Bulls’ championship season. While he was there, Hodges gave President George H.W. Bush a handwritten letter criticizing the administration’s treatment of minorities and the poor.

It’s one of the stories featured in Hodges’ 2017 autobiography, “Long Shot: The Triumphs and Struggles of an NBA Freedom Fighter.” His book caught Hollywood’s eye after the massive success of ESPN’s 2020 hit documentary series "The Last Dance,” a retrospective on the Bulls’ basketball dynasty.

Hodges struck a TV deal with Wayfarer — a production company run by Baldoni and tech billionaire Steve Sarowitz — for a project looking back at that Bulls era through the lens of Hodges’ experiences.

For Hodges, it was an opportunity to tell his story as laid out in his book. “I don’t feel like it’s just a story for the NBA or for Black people. I feel like it’s a story for everyone,” Hodges told InsideSources.

Hodges has long maintained that he was blackballed by the NBA for his political activism. After his White House appearance, the Bulls waived his contract for the next season, and no other NBA team picked him up. Despite his success, Hodges’ career was over.

“This is a game that you’ve been playing on a competitive level since you were 12 years old,” Hodges has said of his situation. “And now you’re 32 years of age, you’re in excellent shape. You just won these championships. You’re the best shooter on the planet … and it’s a game that is about putting the ball in the basket. And you can’t get an agent?”

Hodges thought he had a story to tell, and Jivi Singh — a British-Indian producer who read the NBA star’s book and fell in love with the story — wanted to tell it.

“I think it was the day after the book was released, we read an article in The Guardian, I hit my partners and said, ‘Hey, check this out.’ We ordered the book and within 24 hours (of reading it), we were on a call with Hodges,” Singh recounted.

He and Hodges began putting a movie together under working titles like “Whiteballed” and “The Lost Dance.”

Enter Baldoni and Wayfarer.

While Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath liked Hodges’ story, they disapproved of the director he chose to tell it. And, Hodges and Singh told InsideSources, they were stunned when they heard the reason.

Singh is racially suspect.

The two recounted a Zoom call for InsideSources in which the Wayfarer executives critiqued Singh’s racial qualifications.

“I promise you that as much as I feel you feel, no one knows (Hodges’ life) better, no one knows it better than me,” Heath, who is Black, told Singh. “You might be a wonderful filmmaker, but the story is something that there might be some blind spots for you.”

Baldoni added: “We, as people who are not Black, can never put the emphasis on the Black people to tell us and teach us.”

(The Zoom call and its content have previously been reported by Deadline, which reviewed the audio.)

Hodges told InsideSources he was approached by Heath, who, he said, played the race card against Singh.

“He comes to me on the ‘Brotherhood’ level, and I’m laughing because I’m like, ‘Dude I don’t even know you.’”

“And y’all coming at it from a standpoint of (Singh) is not Black enough?” Hodges added.

Asked for a comment, Wayfarer sent InsideSources a previously released statement from Heath.

“The Craig Hodges story is one we at Wayfarer, and in particular myself, care a great deal about: a Black man being denied the opportunity to professionally practice his craft all because he wanted to highlight what was happening to Black people in America in the 1980s and ’90s,” Heath said.

“While all stories involving Black people don’t need to be told by a Black person, some do indeed require someone that has lived the experience, which is something Justin Baldoni understood and expressed vocally to those involved,” Heath added.

Ironically, Singh noted afterward that the director Baldoni and Heath wanted to replace him with “was a man of Jamaican descent who grew up in Jamaica.”

Singh said he was willing to step aside as the director, but he wasn’t willing to let the truth of Hodges’ life get lost in the telling.

“The film’s called ‘White Balled,’ which means to silence Black people for political reasons. The simple premise of this film is that Craig Hodges is a man who had been silenced. And this film is the vehicle that would give him his voice back.”

Because that voice could sometimes sound critical of the NBA or Michael Jordan, it wasn’t the story Wayfarer wanted, Singh said.

For Hodges, it’s about staying true to the story he wrote in his autobiography.

“When I talked to the new director, the first thing I asked him: ‘Have you read my book?’ And he said ‘No,’” Hodges recalled.

That outraged Hodges, who was trying to tell Baldoni that he trusted Singh with his story.

Baldoni and Wayfarer eventually pulled their support from the project, though they still hold the rights. They want Hodges to pay $175,000 to get the rights to his own story back. Hodges says it’s his life, and, as a Black man, he rejects the idea that others should determine who he can choose to tell his story — particularly when the judgment is based on race.

Others agree.

“From producing to directing to deciding on creative vision to upholding a project’s ultimate vision, Black and Brown people in Hollywood are consistently being overruled and written out of the process — with implications for us all, as who shapes and guides stories can fundamentally alter the end results and the way important stories are told,” said Ricky Clemons, an adjunct lecturer teaching sports management and media at Howard University.

Singh told InsideSources he’s still shocked by Baldoni and Heath’s stance on this project.

“It’s the hypocrisy of a man who thinks it’s OK to tell a man of color that he can’t tell a story of color, but it’s OK for him (Baldoni) to tell a story of a female victim of domestic violence, right?” Singh said. “That hypocrisy really struck a chord, and it’s kind of jarring.”

Meanwhile, Hodges rejects the premise that his story is somehow critical of the NBA or Jordan, or that his life of political activism is a tale too troublesome to tell. He’s shown a rough cut of the film he and Singh have put together to about 100 people, and he says the response has all been positive.

“Everybody who sees it — Horace Grant, John Paxton, all of them — they all say the same thing: ‘When is it coming out?’

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be out. It would be great.”

Michael Graham is Managing Editor at InsideSources.com, which was the first to publish this article.

President Trump Promises to Promote Peace While Pardoning Those Who Promoted Pain By Hazel Trice Edney

Jan. 21, 2025

Trump Swearing in

President Donald Trump Sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. PHOTO: Screenshot

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - President Donald J. Trump, promising in his inaugural address to use his power to “bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable”, has rewarded hundreds of violent Jan. 6 insurrectionists with full pardons and release from prisons despite many of their pleas of guilt.

Approximately 1,500 of the predominately White crowd, several of whom beat police officers with the United States flag, sprayed them with chemicals, and threatened to hang Vice President Mike Pence, are going free this week with no chance of further punishment for attempting to stop the certification of President Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021. Yet, Trump has repeated called the Jan. 6 insurrection a "day of love."

Many of those who protested that day were led by the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, both known as far-right militant organizations. Proud Boys leader, Enrique Tarrio, who had begun his sentence of 22 years and Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, had begun an 18-year sentence are now free after Trump’s pardons. They had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Ironically, Trump's inaugural address had spoken of glorious days to come for the nation. "We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety, and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed," he said.

Despite Trump’s sweeping pardons of the Capitol attackers, there has never been an apology from him for his recently continued and repeated false accusations against the Central Park 5 who were found completely innocent of a Central Park jogger 36 years ago. Nor has he apologized for falsely accusing Haitian people of eating dogs and cats of their Ohio neighbors and the string of other lies against people of color.

Remarkably, Trump’s inauguration, which appeared to have gone smoothly Jan. 20, complete with an indoor U. S. Capitol swearing in ceremony due to the cold, an indoor parade at the Capital One Arena and three inaugural balls, were all undermined by what appeared to be continued lies, insults and not one good word about Biden; nor Vice President Kamala Harris, who Trump handily defeated.

“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first,” Trump said in his inaugural address in front of members of Congress, the U. S. Supreme Court and Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, Clinton, Vice President Harris and even former Vice President Pence.

“Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end,” Trump said to applause. He did not mention the pending pardons during his official inaugural address.

But only a few hours later, he announced the more than a thousand pardons of what he called, “J-6 hostages.” In campaign promises along the trail over the past months, Trump had promised there would be pardons of those convicted of crimes on Jan. 6. But even his Republican supporters did not expect him to release violent offenders that led to the wounding of more than 140 police officers, the deaths of six others and millions of dollars in damages to the Capitol building.

“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned,” then Vice President-elect Vance said in front of cameras only days before the inauguration. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson agreed that he thought Trump was not promising sweeping pardons. On Tuesday, he told Politico that he had not yet seen the list and would be reviewing it.

“Full pardons. Full pardons,” Trump said repeatedly as he signed the executive orders. He said only about six would receive clemency, which means their slates are not wiped cleaned, but their sentences would end or be significantly reduced.

Trump supporters have argued that Biden’s pardons of his son, Hunter, weeks ago as well as his pardon of members of his entire family within the last few minutes of his tenure as president may have prompted Trump to release the Jan. 6 convicts. But others argue that Trump likely knew exactly what he was going to do and, besides, Biden’s family members were not violent.

Another executive order issued by Trump includes ending (DEI) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the federal government. “The injection of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy,” said a statement on White House.gov.

Also birthright citizenship is being challenged by the Trump administration, declaring that a child born in the U. S. to a non-citizen should not automatically become a citizen. Civil Rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have already filed legal action against that one.

Trump’s unexpected move to give the 1,500 pardons indicates an administration of unpredictable actions. It is yet to be fully determined what Trump means by his repeated refrain, mentioned again in his inaugural address, “The golden age of America begins right now.”