Each year, Hillsborough County Commissioners offer a proclamation recognizing the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs (TOBA) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including the group’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Leadership Breakfast.

The proclamation is usually, though not always, a formality, with all Commissioners signing off in support.

Not this year.

Three Commissioners — Donna Cameron Cepeda, Christine Miller and Joshua Wostal, all Republicans — did not sign the proclamation. The other four Commissioners — Chris Boles, Harry Cohen, Ken Hagan and Gwen Myers — are the only signatories listed. Boles and Hagan are also Republicans, while Cohen and Myers are Democrats.

Asked why he didn’t sign, Wostal blamed division.

“Two years ago at an MLK event sponsored by the property tax payers of Hillsborough County they brought out multiple speakers to imply Governor DeSantis was racist, even stooping so low to bring out a 9-year-old to give a similar implication. They were promoting division, not the unity MLK demanded, while being subsidized with our residents’ property taxes,” Wostal responded by text message.

He said he couldn’t recall whether he signed a similar proclamation last year. While local government supports the event, including Hillsborough County, it is also funded through sponsorship opportunities.

Cepeda and Miller did not respond to requests for comment by deadline, sent via email to their aides and text messages to their personal cellphones. This post will be updated if they respond.

Still, the proclamation language offers some clues as to why they might have declined to sign.

The document recognizes TOBA “for its long-standing dedication to promoting equality, equity, and inclusion in the Tampa Bay area.”

All three of the Commissioners whose names were not added to the proclamation are Republicans. The Republican Party, broadly, has been opposed in recent years to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Trump administration has opposed DEI programs and the administration removed MLK Day and Juneteenth, a day celebrated as the end of slavery in the U.S., from its free national park entry days, replacing the days instead with Flag Day on June 14, which is also President Donald Trump’s birthday.

In Florida, lawmakers passed, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed, legislation (SB 266) banning public colleges and universities from spending money on such programs. More recently, DeSantis in his final State of the State speech touted his administration’s opposition to DEI.

Now, DeSantis is encouraging lawmakers to pass a bill that would eliminate DEI funding in local governments. Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Dean Black, both Republicans, have filed legislation (SB 1134, HB 1001) that would do just that. Neither of the bills have yet been heard by lawmakers. If passed, the legislation would also make “certain ordinances, resolutions, rules, regulations, programs, and policies” related to DEI programs or concepts void.

TOBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Aileen Rodriguez, who is challenging Wostal’s re-election this year and attended the breakfast, said she was disappointed her opponent “did not see fit to respect this organization’s’ multiple decades of community service or to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.“

“I know that Hillsborough County is at its best when we come together to work together, not when we allow prejudice and racism to keep us apart,” Rodriguez added.

The proclamation recognizes TOBA’s work, and that of King.

“Since 1979, TOBA has been steadfast in its work to advance the opportunities and rights of people of color,” the proclamation says, adding that the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is “dedicated to political education, economic development, and youth development, and has been at the forefront of building a better Tampa.”

“For 46 years, TOBA has thought of and stood up for the people in the community,” the proclamation reads after quoting King asking, “What are you doing for others?”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words from his “Beyond Vietnam” speech still ring true.

“When machines and computers, profit motives, and property rights are considered more important than people,” he warned, “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

Those words, delivered in 1967, still summarize today’s political moment. Instead of putting the lives of working Americans first, our leaders in Congress and the White House have prioritized advancing corporate profits and wealth concentration, slashing government programs meant to advance upward mobility, and deploying military forces across the country, increasing distrust and tension.

This historic regression corresponds with a recessionary environment for Black America in particular. That’s what my organization, the Joint Center, found in our report, “State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession.”

The economic landscape for Black Americans in 2026 is troubling, with unemployment rates signaling a potential recession. By December 2025, Black unemployment had reached 7.5% — a stark contrast to the national rate of 4.4%. This disparity highlights the persistent economic inequalities faced by Black communities, which have only been exacerbated by policy shifts that have weakened the labor market. The volatility in Black youth unemployment, which fluctuated dramatically in the latter months of 2025, underscores the precariousness of the situation.

The Donald Trump administration’s executive orders have systematically dismantled structures aimed at promoting racial equality. By targeting programs such as Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity executive order and defunding agencies like the Minority Business Development Agency, the administration has shifted federal support away from disadvantaged businesses.

As a result, Black-owned firms risk losing contracts and resources tied to federal programs, potentially resulting in job losses and reduced economic growth. These changes threaten billions in federal revenue for Black-owned firms and undermine efforts to move beyond racial inequality in the workforce.

The GOP’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed in 2025, further entrenches inequality by providing tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high-income households and corporations — while simultaneously slashing investments in programs like Medicaid and SNAP, limiting access to essential services for low-income households.

The technology sector, a critical component of the American economy, is also affected by this disregard for civil rights. Executive orders like “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” have stripped away protections that could advance inclusion in this rapidly growing field. As a result, the future of the American economy risks reinforcing past inequalities.

Dr. King’s call for strong, aggressive federal leadership in addressing racial inequality remains highly relevant. However, instead of eradicating structures of inequality, our current leadership is implementing policies that destroy government jobs and dismantle agencies responsible for preventing predatory economic practices. These choices undermine longstanding efforts to combat racial and economic disparities — and exemplify the regressive economic policies that coincide with rising Black unemployment.

As Dr. King stated, “we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” But urgent action is required. Unless we act deliberately, economic and racial inequalities will become entrenched, resulting in generational loss. The core question is whether we will move beyond our nation’s history of racism, materialism, and militarism, and — as Dr. King urged — embrace “the fierce urgency now” to advance equity.

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This article is republished from OtherWords, a free editorial service published by the Institute for Policy Studies. Reposted by the Florida Phoenix. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected].