‘With the policies and executive orders and firings, there are a lot of things not helping the American people.’

Jamal Perry, 31, is from Gary, Ind. Relocating to Milwaukee in his preteen years with just his mother, Perry graduated from UWM in 2015 and then went on to earn his Master’s in Public Health from Purdue University, a degree he thought would solidify his upward trajectory. Perry landed a job working for Wisconsin’s Department of Public Health. However, the Trump administration’s major shakeups have Perry worried about his future and the health of his community.

Donnie Claybrooks-Carter: How do you feel about everything that is going on with Trump since his Inauguration?

Jamal Perry: I feel very unsure about a lot of stuff. I think with a lot of the policies and executive orders and the firing of people, there are a lot of things not helping the American people, and me as the average American person.

Claybrooks-Carter: Is there one thing that has surprised you?

Perry: I guess I’m surprised by how easy some of these things are happening. Being the president means checks and balances, and I think from what it appears, he doesn’t want to live within that.

Claybrooks-Carter: Have you been personally affected by anything so far, aside from grocery prices?

Perry: It has. It has directly impacted the work that I do at a state level, with federal funds, DEI initiatives, agencies that we fund to do those things, agencies that we work with, community partners and things like that. They are directly affected because everything is in a state of uncertainty. The CDC has taken down certain things and we look to them for direct guidance on stuff. It’s an interesting time to be a federal employee and that trickles down to us at a state level. And for us not having answers for people when the executive orders came about with federal freezing has made it a very uncertain time for my job too.

Claybrooks-Carter: Do you know anyone else that is being affected by his recent executive orders?

Perry: I would say some of the LGBTQ+ folks in my life who are feeling unsafe and frustrated or like they are being erased. Certain states and Universities are getting rid of certain programs and student organization offices. Certain states are trying to pass bills to not rent or hire someone. I know people who are affected by those things as they continue to spread.