The US political climate spurs efforts to reclaim the MLK holiday

As communities across the United States gathered Monday to commemorate the 40th federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many participants found themselves celebrating amid a tense political landscape that some believe threatens the civil rights icon’s legacy.

In the year since Donald Trump’s return to office, his administration has taken significant steps to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Executive orders titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” and “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” have accelerated the dismantling of civil rights and racial justice programs in federal agencies, corporations, and universities.

The National Park Service recently announced it would no longer offer free admission to parks on MLK Day and Juneteenth, instead shifting these benefits to Flag Day and Trump’s birthday – a move many King admirers view as symbolic of broader policy shifts.

“We are living in a moment where America is being tempted to forget the painful truth of its Black history,” said A.R. Bernard, founder and CEO of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, speaking at King’s former pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. “Slavery being renamed as labor, segregation reduced to a footnote, racial terror explained away as exaggeration. This is irresponsible, historical revisionism.”

The concerns extend beyond symbolic gestures. The fatal shooting of an unarmed Minneapolis woman by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent to target the city’s Somali immigrant population has heightened fears among immigrant communities. Trump’s recent characterization of civil rights as discrimination against white people has further intensified anxieties about regression from social progress.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat who serves as Ebenezer’s senior pastor, urged attendees to continue pushing against policies he described as divisive. “They are trying to weaponize despair and convince us that we are at war with one another,” Warnock said, referring to the administration’s approach.

In a recent New York Times interview, Trump claimed the Civil Rights Movement had harmed white Americans, who he said “were very badly treated.” This perspective has drawn sharp criticism from both political leaders and civil rights advocates.

“I think the Civil Rights Movement was one of the things that made our country so unique, that we haven’t always been perfect, but we’ve always strived to be this more perfect union,” countered Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, expressed concern that the administration is actively working to erase the movement’s gains. “From health care access and affordable housing to good paying jobs and union representation, things Dr. King made part of his clarion call for a beloved community are still at stake,” Wiley said.

Despite these tensions, MLK Day observances continued across the nation. In Washington, hundreds marched along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue despite cold weather. The parade, which began decades ago as part of efforts to establish the national holiday, represents ongoing commitment to King’s vision.

“We got to continue to do this because not just of Dr. King, but of what he stood for,” said Sam Ford, a retired broadcaster and member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade Committee. “The struggle continues.”

Conservative voices have urged focusing the holiday exclusively on King himself. Brenda Hafera, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, suggested visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta or rereading his “I have a dream” speech rather than using the day for contemporary political discourse. “His vision was a colorblind society,” Hafera said. “He says very famously in his speech, don’t judge by the color of your skin, but the content of your character.”

However, civil rights organizations took a different approach. The NAACP acknowledged that heightened fears among communities of color necessitate a different tone for King Day observances. The Movement for Black Lives organized demonstrations in several major cities under the banner “Reclaim MLK Day of Action.”

“This year it is more important than ever to reclaim MLK’s radical legacy, letting his wisdom and fierce commitment to freedom move us into the action necessary to take care of one another, fight back, and free ourselves from this fascist regime,” said Devonte Jackson, a national organizing director for the coalition.

While some events were affected by the political climate—Indiana University in Indianapolis canceled its annual Martin Luther King dinner after 60 years, citing “budget constraints”—most celebrations proceeded as planned. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, located at the former Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated, maintained its tradition of offering free admission on the holiday.

“This milestone year is not only about looking back at what Dr. King stood for, but also recognizing the people who continue to make his ideals real today,” said museum President Russell Wigginton, capturing the dual purpose of reflection and recommitment that marked this year’s observances.