An incoming White House official used a well-known quote when announcing Donald Trump’s executive order abolishing federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs:
The goal of this directive is to restore the hope and promise that civil rights activists seized: that one day, all Americans will be treated according to their character rather than their skin color.
In his 1963 I Have a hope speech, Martin Luther King Jr. famously remarked, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.” This speech was mirrored by the statement.
Trump mentioned Martin Luther King Day in his inaugural address a few hours later. This will be a wonderful honor for him, but we will work together to realize his dream in his honor. We are going to fulfill his dream.
According to historian William Horne, co-founder of The Activist History Review and assistant editor of the University of Maryland’s Freedmen and Southern Society Project, conservatives frequently quote King when discussing their intentions to terminate racial equity programs and pursue other conservative endeavors.
In 2021, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida said that King didn’t want people to be judged on the color of their skin but rather on the content of their character while proposing legislation that would allow children to sue schools for teaching racialized information.Critical race theory, according to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, contradicts all that Martin Luther King Jr. taught us about not judging people based solely on the color of their skin.
However, Horne asserted that it’s evident from Dr. King’s writings that he is advocating for something quite radical.
A pivotal milestone in the Civil Rights Movement and a shift in the national dialogue regarding racism and structural oppression, King’s address was given at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. King fought for racial justice and urged the country’s leaders to confront the structural injustice that Black communities face. He drew attention to the ways that Black people were racially disadvantaged in this and other speeches. Additionally, he was continuously spied on by the federal government and maligned by American officials.
Horne went on to say that conservatives aren’t very interested in his work. Instead of portraying white supremacy as state brutality, they are genuinely interested in a different approach. I wish I could state that it is ineffective. These same strategies have worked in the past; in fact, the same rhetoric that supported Jim Crow laws was used.
The anti-woke political movement now includes legislation and lawsuits aimed at dismantling DEI. For a long time, Trump and his supporters have pledged to eliminate federally supported diversity initiatives. According to Trump’s order, government organizations must evaluate any DEI programs and seek to end them. The official told reporters during a call on Monday that the order’s announcement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was highly appropriate. The order calls for a monthly meeting of deputies from several federal agencies to discuss strategies for ending DEI initiatives.
Although diversity, equality, and inclusion roles and programs have been for decades, they gained traction following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, as organizations and agencies sought to create more inclusive workplaces and an ethnically balanced workforce. During the national discussion about how to advance racial fairness, DEI roles started to significantly expand.
According to the Office of Personnel Management, Black employees make up 18% of the federal workforce, which is more than their 14% national population proportion.
Using King’s statements to justify attacks on DEI is horrible, according to Nika White, who owns a consulting firm that focuses on DEI.
“It is depressing that they would take Dr. King’s words and turn them into a weapon in order to undermine what Dr. King espoused, which is opportunity for those who are represented,” White added.
They utilize this tactic to make others unsure of their goals, which include assuming complete control in ways that perpetuate inequality for others.
In a post on X, King’s daughter Bernice King denounced conservatives for using her father’s words: To all politicians: Please use my father’s words to support voting rights, civil rights, or human rights the next time you quote him. or in favor of ending poverty, war, and racism. or in favor of abolishing police brutality, a living wage, or reparations.
In an interview with NBC News last week, Martin Luther King III, King’s eldest son, denounced the attacks on DEI.
According to him, there are qualified individuals who are passed over for opportunities.
Trump vowed he would implement a mass deportation program, terminate gender-affirming care practices, advance education restrictions, and more on his first day in office. The anti-DEI edict is one of more than a dozen campaign pledges he made.
The official told reporters that the executive order is ending preferencing and radical and inefficient government DEI programs. Therefore, the goal of this order is to eradicate DEI inside the federal government and establish equal treatment.
Conservatives have frequently come under fire for misinterpreting King’s remarks and exploiting them to further right-wing causes. Bernice discussed the abuse of her father’s remarks in an interview with MSNBC in 2021.
She warned about taking quotes from my father. Examine him in his whole. He was a prolific writer. The good news is that there are books available, thus the record will remain accurate. In fact, it is really offensive that individuals may misappropriate him in this manner.