When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as President of the United States inside the Rotunda of the Capitol, he will take the oath in front of the statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on a federal holiday commemorating King’s legacy.
It’s a worrying contradiction for some civil rights advocates who want to fulfill the late reverend’s dream of nonviolent social revolution.
Events honoring King and advocating his vision of a just society will take place across the country as many in the US celebrate the peaceful transfer of power in the capital. The concurrent events have been viewed with mixed feelings by civil rights leaders, who widely condemned Trump’s rhetoric and stances on race and civil rights during his third presidential campaign.
But many leaders, including King’s own family, see the comparison as a poignant paradox and an opportunity to refocus on the work of advancing civil rights in a new political era.
“I’m glad it happened that day because it contrasts the United States and the world in pictures. Is that how you want to go — or is that how you want to go?” said the Rev. Bernice King, the late King’s youngest daughter and CEO of the King Center.
King’s daughter said of Trump, “This is not the day he can be the star he wants to be.” “He’s going to have to wrestle with that legacy that day, no matter how he manages it, and handle it in his presentation. I hope people around him are advising him to honor that day appropriately in his speech.” Are.”
This is the third time in the nearly 40 years since the federal King’s holiday became law that it coincides with a presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were also sworn in for their second terms on the holiday. Both praised King in their comments; It remains to be seen whether Trump – who falsely claimed that his first inauguration had a bigger crowd than King’s March on Washington – will accept that day.
“Will he deliver a message of unity and a presidency for all, or will he continue to focus on his base and some divisive policies, like anti-DEI stances, crippling immigrants, and cutting vital parts of Social Security this DOGE ( NET through the Department of Government Efficiency) process?” asked Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League civil rights group.
Morial said Trump’s inaugural landing on MLK Day represented a “contradiction of values.”
Many civil rights leaders will spend the day remembering King’s legacy after a week of public and private organizing, giving speeches and strategizing how to respond to the incoming administration’s agenda.
“This is the best of times and the worst of times,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, an organization whose members guided, supported and fought King during the civil rights movement.
Johnson said, “Our mission does not change. Our job is to make democracy work for all, ensuring equal protection under the law.” He said the group “does not want to believe” that the Trump administration cannot be a partner in advancing civil rights or racial justice.
On Wednesday, Johnson and other civil rights leaders met with Congressional Black Caucus members on Capitol Hill to discuss working with and opposing the Trump administration. The same day, the National Action Network, the civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, hosted a breakfast at which Vice President Kamala Harris urged attendees to stay inspired.
“Our journey is a journey,” he said. “Whatever the outcome of a particular moment, we can never be defeated. Our spirit can never be defeated, because when that happens, we will not be able to win.”
Martin Luther King III, the late King’s eldest son, prayed with Harris on stage. King had campaigned for Harris in the case and called her a lawyer who “speaks to our better angels” and “epitomizes Dr. King’s legacy.”
Many racial justice advocates are preparing to hold demonstrations, vigils and community service events to mark the holiday and prepare for what they consider an adversarial administration.
Some groups are considering the similarities and differences between how King organized in the face of explicitly white supremacist state and local governments and geopolitical turmoil.
Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil, said, “Hostility is similar, particularly in that it is an organized, active and aggressive far-right bent on undermining rights and any sense of shared purpose, shared problems or shared solutions.” And human rights. What’s different, Wiley said, is the understanding that “there should be opportunity for everyone.”
King himself was concerned that he had dedicated his life to legal protections and to realize that greater anti-discrimination efforts or social programs would not follow. He proposed that to see change white Americans would need to embrace a deeper kinship with black Americans and engage in economic and social solidarity.
A year before his assassination in 1968, King wrote in his final book that giving a black man his “due” often required “special treatment.”
King wrote in his 1967 book “Where Do?” “Conflicts with the ideal.” Where do we go from here: anarchy or community.” “But this is a day that demands new thinking and a reevaluation of old concepts.”
King’s advocacy for “new concepts” gained prominence in the enactment of affirmative action policies in workplaces and schools. Many proponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies see such programs as realizing their vision, although this argument has come under scrutiny from conservative activists.
Trump’s views on race have been criticized for decades. The federal government sued Trump for allegedly discriminating against black apartment seekers in the 1970s. He was instrumental in promoting the “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the US and that his campaign rhetoric about immigrants and urban communities from 2015 to the November election has been described as bias.
As president, Trump enacted some criminal justice reform legislation that was praised by civil rights advocates, but then proposed a harsh crackdown on the 2020 racial protests.
In April, Trump did not dispute the notion that “anti-white racism” now represents a bigger problem in the US than systemic racism against Black Americans.
During an interview with Time magazine, Trump said, “I think there is definitely anti-white sentiment in this country and that cannot be allowed.”
Trump transition spokeswoman Janiyah Thomas said Trump’s inauguration “will be monumental, turning a new leaf and ushering in a golden age of America” and said Americans should remember King’s “wise words”: “We must learn “Stay together like brothers or perish together like fools.”
Late in his life, King reflected on his early opposition to civil rights, particularly integrated housing development, interracial marriage, and essential economic and social programs. He criticized then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for prolonging the Vietnam War instead of investing more in anti-poverty efforts. Expressed disappointment at Johnson.
King wrote, “This is where the Civil Rights Movement stands today. We will make mistakes and stumble as we climb the unfamiliar slopes of steep hills, but there is no alternative, well-trodden, level path.” “Along with creative progress there will also be painful failures. Our consolation is that no man can know the real taste of victory if he has never swallowed defeat.”
