Trump inauguration and MLK Day: How social justice activists plan to remember the civil rights icon this year
To some Long Island social justice and civil rights advocates, having Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday take place the same day as Donald Trump's inauguration is a vivid reminder that more work needs to be done.
They told Newsday it was the perfect time to focus on King's unifying legacy; the duality of the two historic moments highlights the need to keep up the fight to eradicate barriers to equality they said still exist for many marginalized people.
Sister Janet Kinney, director of the Long Island Immigration Clinic at the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, was hopeful at how the two celebrations might intersect.
"I just think it's kind of a happy coincidence," Kinney said. "I just want to live in hope that some of the ideals of the late Dr. King might flow over into this new administration ... I would hope there might be some inspiration that comes out of it."
She added, "It's a wait-and-see right now."
King spent his life waging a nonviolent campaign for civil rights and took his message to parts of the country locked in bitter battles over racism and segregation. Until his assassination in Memphis in 1968, King pressed for peace and civil unity. "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant," he said in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway.
Trump often pledged during his campaign to be a uniting force in the country, but his rhetoric often turned divisive and bombastic in speeches and at rallies. A week after his own assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, he called President Joe Biden's allies "thugs" in news reports and said Democrats were "enemies of democracy." Trump has frequently blamed the country's ills on immigrants in the country illegally, vowing a massive deportation immediately after he takes office.
Laura Harding, president of the Syosset-based civil rights organization ERASE Racism, saw the confluence of the two events another way.
"My thoughts are God has a funny sense of humor," Harding said.
"So to have the inauguration on this day, while many of us will be participating in activities to celebrate Dr. King, reminds us of the work we have to do moving forward," she said. "Many of the same marginalized people who will be threatened and harmed by this administration's decisions and policies are the very people that Dr. King fought for."
Sandy Thomas, of Wheatley Heights, a social justice advocate, was more stark. "The inauguration of Donald Trump is the complete opposite of what Martin Luther King stood for."
Some advocates, like Harding, focused on the contrast between what they consider to be Trump's divisive rhetoric and King's philosophy of tolerance and nonviolence. Many pointed to the slain civil rights leader's vision of the "Beloved Community," which The King Center in Atlanta defined on its website.
"In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it," the website reads. "Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood."
The transition team of Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance did not respond to a Newsday email requesting comment.
In his first term, Trump had expressed admiration for King, praising him publicly in the days leading up to the King holiday in 2018.
"Dr. King’s faith and his love for humanity led him and so many other heroes to courageously stand up for civil rights of African Americans," Trump said at the time. "Through his bravery and sacrifice, Dr. King opened the eyes and lifted the conscience of our nation. He stirred the hearts of our people to recognize the dignity written in every human soul."
Trump has vowed that his inaugural address will be "a message of unity."
His electoral victory this year came mostly with the support of white voters, but he was also able to make inroads with other groups, such as younger Black and Latino men in battleground states, according to an Associated Press survey that showed many of them indicated their primary concerns were the economy and jobs. Those gains over his 2020 loss proved significant, AP said.
Advocates said they plan to participate in or speak at events across Long Island celebrating King's life and work. For some, that means doing something to help others in his name, as community leaders have long encouraged people to engage in a day of service to celebrate King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, and assassinated April 4, 1968.
Thomas said during the King holiday she will be doing community work at her church, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, "collecting clothing for shelters in our community." She added, "It's a day of service in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King ... I belong to several organizations who are going to be working on this day of service."
Richard Koubek, a longtime social justice advocate on Long Island who said he was speaking only for himself, wrote in an email: "This year, more than ever, as the inauguration of Donald Trump unfolds side by side with Martin Luther King Day, people should stay focused on Dr. King's call for Americans to become the 'beloved community,' where all people are accepted for what they are and have the resources needed to be fully who they are."
The Rev. William Brisotti, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, said he plans to attend an ecumenical program at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack celebrating King sponsored by Abraham's Table of Long Island, an interfaith group of Christians, Jews and Muslims.
"I certainly hope the spirit of Martin Luther King can be seen within the context of Inauguration Day," Brisotti said, "that it would be a stimulus to real thought about Dr. King and the meaning of his life, and the challenges of this particular moment with the new administration, and to really take to heart what needs to be done."
Rabbi Brian Stoller at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, where King once spoke to the congregation in 1967, said of the two events: "I think it presents our country with an opportunity to refocus on the importance of respecting every human being and treating each other with dignity and kindness, even when we see the world differently."
Kinney noted this isn't the first time a presidential inauguration occurred on the King holiday. President Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013 and President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997 both coincided with the national holiday.
Hazel N. Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, highlighted the contrast between the philosophies and rhetoric of King and Trump and said she worries there could be conflict ahead for those seeking social justice and civil rights reforms.
Dukes, 92, who for decades has been involved in civil rights issues on Long Island and across New York, called the confluence of the two events "unfortunate," saying: "It is again saying to Americans that this person, that Donald Trump, who's been elected the president of the United States, says to us in the civil rights and human rights arena we have a lot of fight ahead of us."
Dukes said the NAACP on Monday "will celebrate Dr. King's holiday in the way he would have us to do: show love and respect for all humankind."
To some Long Island social justice and civil rights advocates, having Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday take place the same day as Donald Trump's inauguration is a vivid reminder that more work needs to be done.
They told Newsday it was the perfect time to focus on King's unifying legacy; the duality of the two historic moments highlights the need to keep up the fight to eradicate barriers to equality they said still exist for many marginalized people.
Sister Janet Kinney, director of the Long Island Immigration Clinic at the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, was hopeful at how the two celebrations might intersect.
"I just think it's kind of a happy coincidence," Kinney said. "I just want to live in hope that some of the ideals of the late Dr. King might flow over into this new administration ... I would hope there might be some inspiration that comes out of it."
She added, "It's a wait-and-see right now."
King spent his life waging a nonviolent campaign for civil rights and took his message to parts of the country locked in bitter battles over racism and segregation. Until his assassination in Memphis in 1968, King pressed for peace and civil unity. "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant," he said in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway.
Trump often pledged during his campaign to be a uniting force in the country, but his rhetoric often turned divisive and bombastic in speeches and at rallies. A week after his own assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, he called President Joe Biden's allies "thugs" in news reports and said Democrats were "enemies of democracy." Trump has frequently blamed the country's ills on immigrants in the country illegally, vowing a massive deportation immediately after he takes office.
Laura Harding, president of the Syosset-based civil rights organization ERASE Racism, saw the confluence of the two events another way.
"My thoughts are God has a funny sense of humor," Harding said.
"So to have the inauguration on this day, while many of us will be participating in activities to celebrate Dr. King, reminds us of the work we have to do moving forward," she said. "Many of the same marginalized people who will be threatened and harmed by this administration's decisions and policies are the very people that Dr. King fought for."
Sandy Thomas, of Wheatley Heights, a social justice advocate, was more stark. "The inauguration of Donald Trump is the complete opposite of what Martin Luther King stood for."
Then-President Donald Trump, center, then-Vice President Mike Pence, left, escorted by then-Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, rear, walk off after visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Jan. 21, 2019, in Washington. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Some advocates, like Harding, focused on the contrast between what they consider to be Trump's divisive rhetoric and King's philosophy of tolerance and nonviolence. Many pointed to the slain civil rights leader's vision of the "Beloved Community," which The King Center in Atlanta defined on its website.
"In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it," the website reads. "Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood."
The transition team of Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance did not respond to a Newsday email requesting comment.
In his first term, Trump had expressed admiration for King, praising him publicly in the days leading up to the King holiday in 2018.
"Dr. King’s faith and his love for humanity led him and so many other heroes to courageously stand up for civil rights of African Americans," Trump said at the time. "Through his bravery and sacrifice, Dr. King opened the eyes and lifted the conscience of our nation. He stirred the hearts of our people to recognize the dignity written in every human soul."
Trump has vowed that his inaugural address will be "a message of unity."
His electoral victory this year came mostly with the support of white voters, but he was also able to make inroads with other groups, such as younger Black and Latino men in battleground states, according to an Associated Press survey that showed many of them indicated their primary concerns were the economy and jobs. Those gains over his 2020 loss proved significant, AP said.
Advocates said they plan to participate in or speak at events across Long Island celebrating King's life and work. For some, that means doing something to help others in his name, as community leaders have long encouraged people to engage in a day of service to celebrate King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, and assassinated April 4, 1968.
Thomas said during the King holiday she will be doing community work at her church, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, "collecting clothing for shelters in our community." She added, "It's a day of service in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King ... I belong to several organizations who are going to be working on this day of service."
Richard Koubek, a longtime social justice advocate on Long Island who said he was speaking only for himself, wrote in an email: "This year, more than ever, as the inauguration of Donald Trump unfolds side by side with Martin Luther King Day, people should stay focused on Dr. King's call for Americans to become the 'beloved community,' where all people are accepted for what they are and have the resources needed to be fully who they are."
The Rev. William Brisotti, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, said he plans to attend an ecumenical program at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack celebrating King sponsored by Abraham's Table of Long Island, an interfaith group of Christians, Jews and Muslims.
"I certainly hope the spirit of Martin Luther King can be seen within the context of Inauguration Day," Brisotti said, "that it would be a stimulus to real thought about Dr. King and the meaning of his life, and the challenges of this particular moment with the new administration, and to really take to heart what needs to be done."
Rabbi Brian Stoller at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, where King once spoke to the congregation in 1967, said of the two events: "I think it presents our country with an opportunity to refocus on the importance of respecting every human being and treating each other with dignity and kindness, even when we see the world differently."
Kinney noted this isn't the first time a presidential inauguration occurred on the King holiday. President Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013 and President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997 both coincided with the national holiday.
Hazel N. Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, highlighted the contrast between the philosophies and rhetoric of King and Trump and said she worries there could be conflict ahead for those seeking social justice and civil rights reforms.
Dukes, 92, who for decades has been involved in civil rights issues on Long Island and across New York, called the confluence of the two events "unfortunate," saying: "It is again saying to Americans that this person, that Donald Trump, who's been elected the president of the United States, says to us in the civil rights and human rights arena we have a lot of fight ahead of us."
Dukes said the NAACP on Monday "will celebrate Dr. King's holiday in the way he would have us to do: show love and respect for all humankind."
LI man admitted killing domestic partner ... 7 charged in money laundering scheme ... Track star can run ... Suffolk CPS investigation
LI man admitted killing domestic partner ... 7 charged in money laundering scheme ... Track star can run ... Suffolk CPS investigation
