Trump’s first day as president marks sweeping cuts to DEI, citing MLK

When a new White House official announced Donald Trump’s executive order dismantling federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the official invoked a familiar phrase:

“This order aims to return the promise and hope of civil rights champions that one day all Americans can be treated on the basis of their character, not the color of their skin.”

This statement echoes a well-known quote from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, in which King said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Hours later, in his inaugural address, Trump declared that it was “Martin Luther King Day, and in his honor, it will be a great honor, but in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality . We will make his dream come true.

Conservatives commonly use King’s words when talking about their plans to end racial equity initiatives and pursue other conservative efforts, said historian William Horne, associate editor of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project from the University of Maryland and co-founder of The Activist History Review.

In 2021, while introducing legislation allowing students to sue schools for teaching race-conscious information, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida remarked that King “didn’t want people to be judged on color of their skin, but on the content of their character. .” Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said “critical race theory goes against everything Martin Luther King Jr. taught us: don’t judge others by the color of their skin “.

But, Horne said, “if you just look at Dr. King’s work, it’s very clear that he’s advocating for something really radical.”

King’s speech, delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment in the civil rights movement and marked a turning point in the national debate on race and systemic oppression. King championed racial equity and implored the nation’s leaders to address the systemic oppression plaguing Black communities. In this and other speeches, he called attention to the ways in which black people were strategically disadvantaged because of their race. He has also been constantly demonized by American leaders and monitored by the federal government.

Conservatives, Horne added, “don’t really care about his work. They really care about a different way of defining white supremacy, not as state violence. I wish I could say it doesn’t work. Historically, we have seen these same tactics work, this precise type of rhetoric is the very one that helped sponsor Jim Crow. »

Dismantling DEI through lawsuits and legislation has become part of the “anti-woke” political movement. Trump and his supporters have long promised to eliminate federally funded diversity programs. Trump’s order requires government agencies to evaluate all DEI programs and work to eliminate them. In a phone call Monday with reporters, the official said it was “very appropriate” to announce the order on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Under the order, lawmakers from several federal agencies will meet monthly to discuss ways to eliminate DEI programs.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and roles have existed for decades, but gained momentum after the 2020 killing of George Floyd as companies and agencies worked to achieve a healthier workforce. ethnically balanced work and more inclusive workplaces. DEI roles began to increase significantly amid the national debate over ways to promote racial equity.

Black workers make up 18% of the federal workforce, according to the Office of Personnel Management, more than their 14% share of the national population.

Nika White, who runs a consulting firm specializing in DEI, called the use of King’s remarks to support attacks on DEI “disgusting.”

“It’s disheartening that they would take Dr. King’s words and use them as a weapon in the conversation to dismantle what Dr. King so ardently stood for, which was opportunity for those who are represented,” White said.

“It’s a way for them to confuse people about what they’re looking for, which amounts to taking all the power in a way that creates a continuation of disparities for others.”

King’s daughter, Bernice King, condemned conservatives’ use of her father’s words in an article on voting, civil rights or human rights. Or in favor of the eradication of racism, poverty and war. Or in favor of reparations, a living wage, or an end to police brutality.

King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, condemned the attacks on DEI in an interview with NBC News last week.

“There are people who are qualified but don’t have the opportunity because” they are overlooked, he said.

The anti-DEI order is part of more than a dozen campaign promises that Trump has said he plans to carry out on his first day in office, including launching a mass deportation program, ending gender-affirming care practices, advancing education restrictions and much more.

“This ends sweeping and unnecessary government DEI programs and preferences,” the official told reporters about the executive order. “This order therefore seeks to create equal treatment and end DEI in the federal government.”

Conservatives have regularly been criticized for taking King’s comments out of context and using them to support right-wing agendas. In 2021, Bernice spoke with MSNBC about the misuse of her father’s lyrics.

“Don’t take samples from my father,” she said. “Study it holistically. He wrote a lot. That’s the beauty of it all, there are books coming out…so the facts will continue to be clear. That people can misuse it in this way is actually more than insulting.