If it feels like a pattern, that’s because it is.
In an abrupt and controversial move, President Donald Trump fired Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman to serve as Librarian of Congress, just months before her 10-year term was set to expire. The firing came not from the president directly, but via email sent by Trent Morse, deputy director of presidential personnel, and was confirmed by multiple sources including CBS News, NBC News and Aviate Through Knowledge Media.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately,” read the email.
Hayden, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016 and confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 74-18 vote, became a symbol of modern progress at the library. During her tenure, she was instrumental in digitizing vast collections, expanding access to underrepresented communities and promoting inclusive literature. Her dismissal drew immediate harsh rebukes from across the political spectrum.
Hayden was confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 74-18 vote.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “a disgrace and the latest in (Trump’s) ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer demanded that the Librarian of Congress be appointed by a congressional commission moving forward.
Rep. Joe Morelle described the termination as “ignorant” and harmful to public service and copyright protection.
But Hayden’s firing is not isolated. It follows a string of dismissals by the Trump administration that civil rights groups, labor leaders and scholars say are indicative of a deeper agenda to roll back decades of progress in representation.
Since January 2025, multiple high-profile African American and female federal officials have been removed from office, including:
- Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and only the second African American to hold the post, dismissed in March 2025.
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Atlanta mayor and senior adviser for public engagement, ousted in January.
- Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman on the National Labor Relations Board since its 1935 inception, fired alongside General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.
- Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels of the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, both leading voices for civil rights, dismissed in January, leaving the agency in a policy-making vacuum.
- Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a U.S. military branch as Commandant of the Coast Guard, was informed of her dismissal during the Inauguration Day ball.
- Angella Reid, the first woman to serve as White House chief usher, was dismissed in 2017 — early evidence of the same trend.
As of April 2025, the Trump administration has laid off more than 275,000 federal civil servants, roughly 12% of the federal workforce. Although official demographic data has not been released, the removal of so many historic “firsts” — largely Black, female or both —suggests a disproportionate impact on diversity and equity within the government.
Carla Hayden’s dismissal isn’t just the end of a historic tenure. It symbolizes a broader shift, one critics say is aimed at erasing representation, silencing diverse voices and rewriting the nation’s narrative.
Whether this pattern will continue or be reversed by legal and civic action remains to be seen. For now, the message is clear: Progress is not guaranteed, and history is once again under siege.
Edmond W. Davis is a journalist, social historian, Tuskegee Airmen global scholar and emotional intelligence expert.