Black History

A Forward March For MLK In The New Trump Era

As Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president, many in the Congressional Black Caucus chose to observe MLK Day away from the inauguration, reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy and the ongoing fight for civil rights.

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By April Ryan
Washington Bureau Chief and Chief White House Correspondent
BlackPressUSA.com

“Today hits differently,” says Democratic Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett who decided to observe the National Martin Luther King Jr. holiday away from the 60th Presidential inauguration of Donald John Trump. A large swath of the 62 members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were invited to the ceremonies chose to observe the National King Day away from the nation’s capital.

“Today, unlike any King Day before, I’ve truly searched my soul for his strength and praying for an ounce of his political prowess,” according to the outspoken Texas lawmaker who was a co-chair of the Kamala Harris Presidential campaign last year. The Harris presidential campaign ended in defeat on November 5, 2024, with Donald Trump being named the 47th President of the United States.

If Dr. King, a civil rights icon, had lived; he would have been 96 years old on January 15th of this year. The irony of the day honoring the civil and human rights leader is that it was shared with the 60th presidential inauguration ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. Historically, the second inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama took place on MLK Day in 1997 and 2013.

There were some Democratic hopes that Kamala Harris could be a repeat of this year’s swearing-in history. A few months ago, some Kamala Harris campaign staffers believed the then-Democratic presidential candidate would have been sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on this King Day.

Since the 15th of this month, there have been many celebrations honoring the life and civil rights history of Dr. King.

One was at Riverside Church in Harlem, New York. Rev. Mark Thompson, host of “Make It Plain,” and NNPA Global Digital Transformation Director, remembered Dr. King by saying, “his memory calls us to transcend all of the things we are most concerned about today.”

Dr. King, who was killed in 1968 by an assassin’s bullet, challenged authority at the highest levels to achieve equality for African-Americans in this nation like voting rights and civil rights. Thompson warns in this new political era, “rather than relax or be discouraged we should … continue to hold the Office of the President accountable.”