What to know NBC Bay Area [Video]

President Donald Trump has ordered all federal employees working in diversity, equity and inclusion roles to be placed on paid leave starting Wednesday.

Trump in his inauguration speech said the move to terminate DEI programs within the federal government ends efforts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

“President Trump campaigned on a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” said Karoline Leavitt, the president’s press secretary.

Conservatives have long condemned DEI programs, arguing they violate the Constitution by using preferences based on race, gender and sexual orientation.

The Urban League for decades has been working to improve the economic and social conditions of Black Americans. The agency’s leaders are calling the president’s executive order a step backward.

“This is a state of emergency for our communities,” National Urban League President Marc …