The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today decried a reported change by the Trump administration to no longer explicitly prohibit federal government contractors from having “segregated facilities” such as restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.
A memo issued by the General Services Administration (GSA) last month impacting all civil federal agencies made that change based on President Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). There are other state and federal laws that outlaw racial segregation and discrimination.
“As our nation unfortunately becomes more divided and polarized, the last thing we need is any effort that could be perceived as allowing racial segregation,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “We must not turn back the clock to a time in our nation’s history when racism and white supremacy were written into laws and contracts.”
Hooper said Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com