Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it's destabilized by Trump's job cuts

For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration's workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air.

Apr 27, 2025 - 10:06
 0
Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it's destabilized by Trump's job cuts
Shirley Hopkins helped recruit countless Black students in Washington, D.C., for the National Institutes of Health

For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration's workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air.

(Image credit: Kyna Uwaeme for NPR)