when elected president Donald Trump He will be sworn in as President of the United States in the Capitol Rotunda, facing a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on a federal holiday honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
It’s a troubling contrast for some civil rights advocates hoping to realize the late pastor’s dream of nonviolent social revolution.
As many Americans witness the peaceful transfer of power in the nation’s capital, events will take place across the country to commemorate King and promote his vision for a just society. Concurrent events have mixed feelings for civil rights leaders, who have widely condemned Trump’s rhetoric and stance on race and civil rights during his third presidential campaign.
But many leaders, including members of King’s own family, saw the juxtaposition as a stark contrast and an opportunity to refocus efforts to advance civil rights in a new political era.
“I’m so glad it happened that day because it creates such a contrast between the United States of America and the world. Is this the path you want to go down – or is this the path you want to go down?” the late king’s youngest daughter said the Rev. Bernice King, who is also the King Center’s CEO.
“There’s no way he could be a star today, as much as he loved being a star,” Kim’s daughter said of Trump. “No matter how he manages and handles it in his speeches, he has to deal with that legacy on this day. I hope People around him suggested that he commemorate the day appropriately in his speech.”
This is the third time in the nearly 40 years since the federal king holiday became law that it has coincided with a presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were also sworn in during the holiday. Both men praised King in their speeches; it remains to be seen whether and how Trump, who falsely claimed his first inauguration turned out to be larger than King’s parade in Washington, will acknowledge the day.
“Will he send a message of unity and the presidency to everyone, or will he continue to focus on his base and some of the divisive policies he supports, such as anti-DEI stances, rounding up immigrants and cutting significant parts of Social Security through DOGE (Government Efficiency) department) process? asked Mark Morial, president of the National Urban League civil rights organization.
Morial added that Trump’s inauguration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day represents a “contradiction in values.”
Many civil rights leaders will use the day to honor King’s legacy after a week of public and private organizing, giving speeches and strategizing on how to deal with the incoming administration’s agenda.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, whose members mentored, collaborated and clashed with King throughout the civil rights movement.
“Our mission will not change. Our job is to make democracy work for everyone and ensure equal protection under the law,” Johnson said. He added that the group “does not want to assume” that the Trump administration cannot be a partner in advancing civil rights or racial justice.
Johnson and other civil rights leaders met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to discuss how to work with and against the Trump administration. That same day, the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, hosted a breakfast where Vice President Kamala Harris urged attendees to stay motivated.
“Our journey is a journey,” she said. “No matter what the outcome is at any given moment, we will never be defeated. Our spirit will never be defeated because when that happens, we don’t win.”
Martin Luther King III, the late king’s eldest son, prayed with Harris on stage. King campaigned for Harris in the fall, calling her an advocate who “speaks to our better angels” and “embodies the legacy of Dr. King.”
Many racial justice advocates will organize demonstrations, vigils and community service events to mark the holiday and prepare for what they see as a hostile administration.
Some groups are reflecting on the similarities and differences in how King organized in the face of overtly white supremacist state and local governments and geopolitical instability.
Maya Wiley, executive director of the Civil Leadership Conference, said: “The hostility is similar, particularly the presence of a mobilized, active, aggressive far-right hell bent on dismantling rights and any shared goals, common issues or Shared solutions. The difference, Wiley said, is the understanding that “everyone has to have a chance.”
King himself worried that the legal protections he devoted his life to achieving would not be followed by larger anti-discrimination efforts or social programs. He argued that white Americans need to develop deeper kinship with black Americans and engage in economic and social solidarity to see change.
A year before his assassination in 1968, King wrote in his final book that giving black people their “deserve” often required “special treatment.”
“I know this is a troublesome concept for many liberals because it conflicts with their traditional ideals of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people on the basis of their individual merits,” King wrote in his 1967 book Where to Do It conflict. “But this day requires new thinking and a reassessment of old concepts. “
The “new concepts” championed by King have been carried over into affirmative action policies in workplaces and schools. Many advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion policies argue that the programs fulfill his vision, although that argument has been heavily scrutinized by conservative activists.
Trump’s racial views have been criticized for decades. He was found liable for discriminating against black tenants while working as a New York real estate agent in the 1980s. He played an important role in promoting the “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States.
As president, Trump enacted some criminal justice reform laws that civil rights advocates applauded, but then proposed a harsh crackdown on the 2020 racial reckoning protests.
In April, Trump did not dispute that “anti-white racism” now represents a bigger problem in the United States than systemic racism against black Americans.
“I think there’s a clear anti-white sentiment in this country, and that’s not allowed,” Trump said in an interview with Time magazine.
In his final moments, King reflected on the early backlash against civil rights, particularly regarding integrated housing development, interracial marriage, and necessary economic and social programs. He expressed frustration with then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for prolonging the Vietnam War rather than investing more in anti-poverty efforts.
“This is where the civil rights movement stands today. We will make mistakes and falter as we climb unfamiliar steep hills, but there is no other smooth road less traveled,” King wrote. “With creative progress come painful setbacks. Our consolation is that no one can know the true taste of victory without swallowing failure.”
