📂 Today, IRS Direct File officially opens. Residents of 25 states across the country can file their taxes for free using IRS Direct File--which will allow our community to save money and time. Check your eligibility and file today at this link:

If you’re ready to join COC as we mobilize, you don’t want to miss our squad call on February 13 at 8PM ET. Together, we will explore Color Of Change’s latest campaigns, identify ways to take action, and strengthen our leadership. RSVP:

Today is Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, when we acknowledge that this chronic illness disproportionately affects Black people. The incidence rate of new diagnoses among Black adults was 2-8 higher than other groups. We uplift the stories of those affected by HIV/AIDS.

COC has relentlessly defended Black stories and will continue to do so, no matter the attack. Our stories matter.

COC acknowledges systemic racism, which created the need for DEI programs and is the reason they’re being repealed. The same ones who deny the need for DEI programs deny the necessity of critical race theory and Black History in schools and ban books by Black authors.

Ultimately, anti-DEI policies deny Black History, which is American history. Our shared stories are our power, and the story of our community is one of survival in the face of attack, resilience in the face of erasure, and joy in the face of harm.

On Feb 27, 1PM ET, our own Interim Executive Director @ItsMsPortia will be a guest speaker for the @JointCenter's event on economic justice. You don't want to miss this discussion of the tax policy and how it should serve Black communities. RSVP here:

COC’s campaigns against neo-segregationists are essential to expose the leaders and corporations that not only oppose DEI but want a repeal of the Civil Rights Act. They want to turn America back to exclusionary hiring, education, housing, and more. Ending DEI is just the start.

RT @NAACP: We will forever continue to celebrate US. Happy #BlackHistoryMonth!

We will not have our stories and our people erased. Color Of Change has exposed neo-segregationist corporations and organizations, defended CRT and Black history in schools, and stood firm for our community to be recognized by this country. And we will continue to do so.

COC has always defended DEI in all realms of society, including the workplace, education system, and more. While neo-segregationists say that DEI promotes discrimination, the reality is that they want systemic exclusion to continue. They want access only for themselves.

Musk and DOGE are circumventing the will and agency of the people for their own profit. We deserve access to the free tax filing we fought for.

Countless Black people worked, sacrificed, and even died for the Civil Rights Act to be instated. This month, we uplift them and vow to do our part to continue their work.

Trump revoked Executive Order 11246, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and intended to strengthen Equal Employment Opportunity, Title VII of the bedrock Civil Rights Act of 1964, which not only established anti-discrimination policy but ended segregation nationwide.

BHM is about recognizing the work done by those who came before us to survive the harms of racism and forge a better future. The anti-DEI agenda of President Trump seeks to nullify the tireless work done by Black civil rights leaders to advocate for equal access.

Project 2025 is a right-wing manifesto aimed at destroying decades of progress for Black communities, and we’re seeing this happen first-hand in the realm of DEI&A. COC stands against this agenda and will continue to champion DEI in our campaigns.

And while Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, over 100 of Trump’s first-term officials contributed. And now that he’s in office, many of his first days’ orders mirror recommendations from the project.

But these orders are also no surprise to us at COC, who see them as an extension of Project 2025, a right-wing manifesto that was released in 2023 by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation.

The anti-DEI executive orders we’ve seen from President Trump over the last few weeks are no surprise, especially after a campaign that used divisive language and twisted the purpose of anti-discrimination programs and accused them of favoritism for marginalized groups.

Yes, it’s still Black History Month. Over the last few weeks, we have seen threats to Black culture, people, and neighborhoods from our own federal gov’t. But at COC, we still celebrate the achievements and contributions of our community, which continue despite the challenges.