His attempt to fire Fed member Lisa Cook isn’t about fraud – it’s about race
By Shamecca Brown, Columnist, Granite State News Collaborative
Donald Trump has never hidden his disdain for diversity or equity. He proved it again in August, abruptly saying he would fire Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to ever serve on the Federal Reserve Board. He called her “incompetent” and accused her of “fraud,” but let’s be clear: This isn’t about fraud. This is about race, power and Trump’s long history of targeting Black leaders who break barriers.
Lisa Cook isn’t just another official. She’s a brilliant economist who rose to the highest levels of government despite the barriers Black women face in academia, finance and public policy. Her appointment to the Federal Reserve was historic – a breakthrough moment that inspired many who rarely see themselves represented in these powerful spaces. To Trump, that very representation is the problem.
This is the same Trump who questioned the intelligence of Barack Obama, and who mocked Black journalists for asking tough questions. It’s the same Trump who attacks DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs, claiming they’re “reverse racism,” while ignoring centuries of systemic exclusion. Each move follows a pattern: When Black excellence shines too brightly, Trump does everything he can to dim it.
Firing Lisa Cook isn’t about policy disagreements or fiscal concerns. It’s about control. Trump wants to send a message that Black voices in positions of authority are disposable, that no matter how hard you work or how much you achieve, he can erase it with a smear and a press release.
And the timing matters. His recent remarks about the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibits on slavery were already called out as racist by figures like tennis great Martina Navratilova, who noted his pattern of belittling Black history. Now, with Cook’s dismissal, he’s doubling down on the same agenda: erasing progress, rewriting history and reasserting power over spaces where Black excellence has finally been recognized.
Let’s not forget: Representation at the highest levels isn’t symbolic. It’s systemic change. Cook’s role meant a voice at the table when decisions about interest rates, employment and the economy are made, decisions that directly affect working-class families, including millions of Black households already struggling with inequality. Silencing her isn’t just personal; it’s political.
Donald Trump has always thrived on division. He fuels his base by stoking resentment against women, immigrants, and especially people of color who refuse to “stay in their place.” But the truth is, no firing, no smear and no headline can erase the impact Lisa Cook has already made.
Let me clear the air as well: I’m very sure people know racism when they see it or hear it and, in my opinion and experience, I know firsthand on seeing it and feeling it. I mean, I can walk down my street and see a Trump sign and Confederate flag in someone’s yard and just know that this world is divided. Instead of covering up and saying little sarcastic words or marking up businesses and neighborhoods with Nazi symbols, just be blunt and let us know you’re racist and stay outta my way.
What makes this moment so dangerous is that many folks shrug it off as just “Trump being Trump.” But that’s how erosion happens. First, you fire one Black leader. Then another. Then you rewrite history books and museum exhibits to erase slavery and racism. Then you dismantle DEI programs and make sure the next generation has no tools to even recognize discrimination when they see it. By the time people wake up, the damage is baked in.
We can’t afford to shrug anymore.
This isn’t about partisan politics. You don’t have to be a Democrat or a liberal to see that erasing Black leadership and silencing history is wrong. You just have to believe in fairness, representation and the idea that America is stronger when everyone has a seat at the table.
Trump wants us to believe this is about rooting out corruption or fighting “wokeness.” But when the only people being removed are Black, when the only history being erased is Black history, and when the only policies being scrapped are the ones designed to level the playing field, that’s not coincidence. That’s racism. And you know it.
Lisa Cook’s fight is about more than her seat on the Fed. It’s about whether we let Trump keep rewriting the rules to suit his vision of America: one where Black leaders are expendable, diversity is dangerous, and history is sanitized to protect fragile feelings.
In my opinion we should be standing with Cook. Because if her voice doesn’t matter, none of ours do.
Shamecca Brown is a New Hampshire-based columnist who is family-oriented and passionate about serving underserved communities. These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.