The inauguration of President-elect Trump is set for January 20, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., expressed that, despite her opposition to the incoming president, the overlap of these two events feels like a “small win.”
“I’m pleased that if it was going to happen, it occurred on the King holiday, because Dr. King’s message continues to resonate with us,” King told The Independent. “We must not retreat,” she emphasized. “Our commitment must be to the ongoing mission of safeguarding freedom, justice, and democracy, in honor of my father’s legacy.”
MLK Day becomes a focal point for voices opposing Trump’s inauguration
King has been a vocal critic of Trump, especially when the president-elect has invoked her father’s name or made comparisons between himself and the civil rights leader. Across the nation, civil rights figures have voiced concern over Trump’s election, and numerous groups are planning demonstrations during the inauguration.
On January 18, two days prior to the inauguration, organizations like the Women’s March, Planned Parenthood, and the National Women’s Law Center will come together for the People’s March on Washington.
Rev. Al Sharpton will lead an additional protest on the National Mall during Trump’s inauguration. “There’s a lot of anger right now,” King acknowledged. “But we cannot let that festering anger consume us.”
