Mamdani Releases Long Overdue NYC Racial Equity Plan – DOJ Official Aghast
On April 6, Mayor Mamdani delivered a voter-mandated Racial Equity Plan – within hours, the DOJ tweeted: “Sounds fishy.”
Featured Image: Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosts a Black History Month reception at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Feb. 25, 2026. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
No sooner had Mayor Zohran Mamdani released NewYork City’s first Preliminary Racial Equity Plan than Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, snarked on X: “Sounds fishy/illegal. Will review!”
The Racial Equity Plan was designed for communities in NYC whose voices have been underheard and underrepresented—to give city government a framework to look at how decisions about housing, health, economic opportunity, community safety, infrastructure, and public services shape outcomes for constituents. It presents 200 agency-level goals to address persistent disparities, and to examine where systems fall short. Challenges around affordability are not overlooked.
Sounds fishy/illegal. Will review! https://t.co/HDT4FJdGwK
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) April 6, 2026
“The neighborhoods hit hardest by rent and the rising nature of it, by childcare costs and the suffocating manner of it, are the same ones that have been hit for years by institutional neglect and racism,” Mamdani said at a press conference after unveiling the report on April 6. “ In that way, New York City’s affordability crisis and its history of racial inequity are bound together.”
Was it the “racial inequity” phrase that set Harmeet Dhillon’s antennae twitching? Aspirations for equity have been not only discouraged, but condemned by the Trump administration. As such, her tweet threatens that such plans—aimed at dismantling barriers that have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities—will be reviewed for illegality. In deference to Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
“New York City Racial Equity Plan is not optional… ” New York City Commission on Racial Equity (CORE) shared with GO via email. “This potential political weaponization by the DOJ raises urgent questions about motive, credibility, and whose interests are truly being protected.”
The reality is that the Racial Equity Plan was legally mandated by the city’s charter, under ballot reforms passed by voters in 2022. In fact, prior Mayor Eric Adams was sued last year by CORE for failing to set the plan in motion; he ultimately completed a version that was never released.
“This potential [DOJ] scrutiny stands in stark contrast to rhetoric long associated with Trump himself – when narratives have emerged suggesting that white Americans are the primary victims of systematic injustice, and in some cases, even deserving of reparations,” NYC CORE adds.
While the Plan is clearly about Racial Equity, the absence of the words, “diversity, equity and inclusion,” was noticeable in the 375-page document. The peculiarity was examined in detail by The New York Times and begs the question that has had institutions walking on egg shells since the dawn of Trump 2.0: How to say DEI without saying DEI?
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Areas the plan looks at include Pollution and Environmental Hazards: Communities of color and low-income residents throughout the city have historically borne the disproportionate burden of harmful pollutants from industry, including from nearby power plants, sewage treatment plants, landfills, and highways. On Health: The plan seeks to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to a primary care doctor by 2034. It also aims to advance training programs and specialized services to meet health needs specific to LGBTQ+ people.
The unveiling also included a True Cost of Living Measure. As stated by Mayor Mamdani at the Plan’s debut at Medgar Evers College: “Despite the incredible wealth of our city, our poverty rate is double that of the national average, and it is getting worse year over year. And while today’s True Cost of Living Measure confirms that the affordability crisis touches every corner of our city, we know that these effects are not applied evenly. So often it is Black and Brown New Yorkers who are hit the hardest.”
The Preliminary Racial Equity Plan is being put forth as the first step in developing “a whole-of-government approach” to tackling that reality.
“We honor the individuals and organizations, past and present, who have tirelessly advocated for justice and equity—whose experiences and insights have shaped our understanding of racism, illuminated our city’s history of complicity, and pushed us to do better.” The plan’s introduction reads like the dedication it was meant to be.
NYC CORE is calling for political courage in this moment:
“I’m urging all elected officials, advocates, and institutions to not be distracted or intimidated by the federal overreaching masquerading as oversight” said Linda Tigani Chairperson and Executive Director of NYC CORE. “Now is the time for leaders across New York – and across the country-to stand firm, speak clearly, and defend what is right”.
