Author: Errin Haines, The 19th

Errin Haines is The 19th's editor-at-large. An award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience, Haines was previously national writer on race for the Associated Press. She’s also worked at the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

Women Made History in the East Wing. It Was Razed for Trump’s Ballroom.

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When bulldozers began to tear down the East Wing of the White House this week to clear the way for President Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom, historians raised alarms that important American history was being buried in the rubble, including chapters about previous first ladies and their roles uplifting women going back nearly a century.

Among the offices housed in the East Wing is the Office of the First Lady, first professionalized by Eleanor Roosevelt during her husband’s administration.

“To me, this demolition suggests that the current White House does not think that the first lady does anything of value,” said Katherine A.S. Sibley, professor of history. “I’m not talking about [Melania Trump] particularly, but the office itself—they’re not cognizant of the history.” 

From Reckoning to Backlash, Black Women Reflect on the Stakes of the Moment

In 2020, the killing of George Floyd shocked Americans into action and into the streets by the millions, protesting the unrelenting killing of Black people by police. 

The moment sparked a nascent reckoning in America around systemic racism and institutional inequality—in many cases, with Black women at the center. Already the backbone of our democracy, many were called on to also be a bridge to racial healing.

Five years later, many of these same Black women find themselves at the center of a backlash, confronted with attacks on the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that were previously championed.

Claudine Gay’s Resignation at Harvard Proves Black Women’s Leadership Is Still Political

Much of the criticism of Harvard’s Claudine Gay wasn’t about legitimate concerns about academic integrity or campus antisemitism. It was about who is in power.

But who’s surprised, really, that things went this way for Gay? Against Black women specifically, the conservative agenda is clear: Minimize their excellence and exaggerate their mistakes. Their identities and leadership become weaponized and politicized. There is no room for error.