By DaQuan Lawrence
Special to the AFRO
Some 57 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., America remains just as divided as it was during the lifetime of the fallen religious and civil rights leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the District of Columbia featured major national events despite the frigid temperatures that altered scheduling and planning.
The city was divided as thousands arrived to attend the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States, while others chose to honor the legacy of Dr. King.
On Jan. 20 the Metropolitan AME Church filled to capacity as attendees from around the country traveled to the nation’s capitol to participate in the National Action Network’s (NAN) rally, organized in the past couple of months as a form of resistance against the incoming presidential administration.
The organization changed their plans of marching from McPherson Square to the historical Metropolitan AME Church located on M Street for a rally. Instead, attendees avoided the cold and met for the rally portion of the event. The Metropolitan AME Church is historically significant as a proponent of racial and social justice for the African-American community. It was also the site of the funerals of Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks.
NAN is one of the premier civil rights organizations in the nation and was founded in 1991 by Rev. Al Sharpton. The organization works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a contemporary civil rights agenda.
During the MLK Day convening, Sharpton discussed the importance of honoring Dr. King and continuing his work in modern society.
“When Trump was President, before he went into the Oval Office, he hung a portrait of his favorite president, Andrew Jackson. Jackson nominated the Supreme Court judge Roger Taney, who later was the Chief Justice that rendered the Dred Scott decision that Blacks had no rights,” Sharpton said.
“[Jackson] was Trump’s hero, but on this side of town our hero is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Sharpton emphasized.
Sharpton condemned Trump’s racist actions and public stance on hot topic issues such as the death penalty. He noted the 1989 advertisement Trump took out multiple newspapers, calling for the men accused in the Central Park Five case to be executed. Last year, Trump doubled down on his views, despite the men receiving exoneration more than two decades ago. Sharpton said this was an important example of how past actions by Trump marginalized can still harm communities today due to social implications.
(AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
“The problem is we have too many folks scratching where they don’t itch, or too many people laughing at what’s not funny,” Sharpton explained during his speech. “We fought too hard, we’ve shed too much blood, and we’ve spent too many nights in jail to think that Trump can turn us around.”
During the program speakers continued to focus on the legacy of Dr. King, whose work for economic justice spanned around the globe due to his stance and efforts to eradicate poverty and capitalism. While acknowledging the concurrent activities in the nation’s capital, attendees of the MLK Day rally remained positive about the potential for Dr. King’s vision of America to be actualized.
“I think we have to keep Dr. King’s dream alive,” Jamie Bland, the president for the Paterson, New Jersey Chapter of NAN, said.
“[Dr. King] wanted little girls and boys to be able to hold hands together in unity despite their racial background. Many of my friends don’t look like me, but I think coming together is what we have to stand for,” Bland told the AFRO.
Before concluding his remarks, Sharpton addressed the historical and contemporary civil rights struggles around the nation, particularly focusing on the legacy of Dr. King and current political figures’ ability to live up to these principles. He emphasized the responsibilities of past and present leaders for failing to address racial justice, and cited the lack of action on police accountability and the erosion of voting rights.
Sharpton also spoke on the economic exploitation of African labor and the importance of explicit public policies that advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
“Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations,” Sharpton said.
On day one of his second term in office, Trump slashed all DEI initiatives from the federal government.
Still, even without DEI on the federal level, Black people will continue to push forward and achieve success.
“You must have forgotten who we are. We are the ones that you took everything from, and we are still here,” Sharpton told a packed house at Metropolitan AME Church in the nation’s capital. He then led hundreds of guests in an oath to uphold and advance Dr. King’s dream for a just nation.
Rev. Sharpton’s address on Jan. 20 took place on the same day as Inauguration Day, which is always held on Jan. 20. MLK Day is always the third Monday in January. The two events have coincided in the past before.
While more than 11 buses of patrons commuted national attendees to the District for the MLK Day rally for NAN, hundreds of thousands of people also made the journey to the nation’s capitol to witness the inauguration ceremony. Per the inauguration schedule of events, security screening for the anticipated crowd began at 7 a.m. Only about 20,000 attendees would be allowed into the Capital One Arena to watch the ceremony, as the arena’s expected capacity is about 20,356.
Upwards of 200,000 people traveled to the nation’s capitol to witness the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration. Attendees viewed the ceremony from the Capital One Arena while Donald Trump and J.D. Vance took the oath of office in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
While MLK Day and Inauguration Day events took place, protests erupted around the country. In D.C., Chicago and New York citizens took the streets to voice their frustrations and concerns regarding a second presidency for Trump, who is now a convicted felon.
Although Dr. King and others fought to diminish racial and economic injustice during his lifetime, nearly six decades later the nation remains divided ideologically – a fact proven by the duality of the events taking place in the District on MLK Day 2025.
Bland said it will be important for spiritually-led politicians, during a political climate where America may be experiencing a return to a previous era of injustice.
“This is nothing new and people know that God is in everything. But these politicians, especially in 2025 – they’re going to definitely have to maintain the Spirit of God, otherwise it’s going to be bad for everybody,” Bland told the AFRO. “I think we have to continue to pray. Politicians must put God first and once they do that, everything will be running the way it’s supposed to run.”
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