Pentagon Agency to Stop Celebrating MLK Day, Black History Month as Part of Anti-DEI Crackdown

The Pentagon's intelligence agency has ordered to stop celebratory events or activities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Pride Month and other holidays as a part of the Trump administration's anti-DEI crackdown.

Starting Saturday, the Defense Intelligence Agency will halt all celebrations in connection with the holidays or honorary months, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.

Eleven special events, including Women's History Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and National Hispanic Heritage Month, will be affected by the pause, a copy of the memo shared to social media said. However, affected holidays MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth will still be observed as federal holidays.

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Women's Equality Day, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month were also included on the list.

When asked about the White House's plans for Black History Month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that they "still intend" to celebrate the month, but also "the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed, have made to our great country."

The celebrations' pauses come after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning DEI programs across the federal government. The president maintained that this decision would end "illegal discrimination" and restore "merit-based opportunity."

All federal workers who had been running DEI roles were going to be placed on paid leave, an internal memo obtained by NBC News last week stated. Any attempts to hide or mask DEI programs were told to be reported, as reported by the BBC.

A DIA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency plans to update their internal guidance as they receive additional instructions on how to implement the executive order.