MLK's daughter urges Americans not to tune out Trump's inauguration
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Bernice A. King speaks on stage during day 2 of the 2024 Black Girls Dream Conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Photo: Marcus Ingram/Getty Images
The daughter of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is telling Americans to "pay attention" to the words of President-elect Trump during his inauguration and also honor her father's birthday.
Why it matters: The inauguration and MLK Day fall on the same date in January, creating anxiety among many Black Americans who strongly opposed Trump amid his repeated use of bigoted language during his campaign.
The big picture: Some Black Americans were urging others to tune out Trump during his inauguration speech and instead focus on the legacy of the fallen civil rights leader.
Yes, but: Bernice A. King, the youngest child of the civil rights icon and Coretta Scott King, recently posted on Instagram that everyone in the U.S. should do both.
- "l certainly understand the desire to tune out rhetoric, ideology, and policies with which we passionately disagree and which contradict the spirit of the Beloved Community," King wrote.
- "However, we must pay attention to what President-Elect Trump speaks on that day, even if by transcript and video later."
- She said that activists cannot develop "a strategic, love-centered strategy for addressing language and legislation" if they are not also strategic in listening and leadership.
- "This is not the time for ignorance."
Zoom in: Trump is scheduled to be sworn into office on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.
- That same day, dozens of cities and towns nationwide will be holding MLK Day events, speeches, parades and volunteer events.
- The King Center in Atlanta will have a commemorative service that morning, which will be streamed live.
State of play: During the campaign, Trump repeatedly said undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country," language echoing the rhetoric of white supremacists and Adolf Hitler.
- Trump also compared himself to Martin Luther King Jr. and suggested he drew a similar crowd size to his first inauguration as King did when he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington.
- Trump also called North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who lost a race for governor, "Martin Luther King on steroids." Robinson lost following a CNN story that alleged he called himself a "Black NAZI" on a porn site.
Zoom out: After Trump's win, Martin Luther King III, the civil rights leader's son, told dejected supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris to "keep moving forward."
- King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, spearheaded the creation of a new Black-Latino coalition in the days before the election.
What we're watching: Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of two important civil rights events — the "Bloody Sunday" attack on Selma civil rights marchers and the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
- If Trump attends any commemorative gatherings on those landmark events, he will likely have to see members of the King family.
