The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. changed America for the better by helping our nation make progress toward achieving his dream of ending racism and ensuring equality for all. But as we honor King with a national holiday, President Trump is doing all he can to reverse the great civil rights leader’s historic accomplishments.
Unfortunately, King’s dream, which he eloquently expressed in his speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, has yet to come true. Systemic racism has been diminished but still exists. Black Americans are suffering unjustly as a result.
For example, according to federal statistics, about 20 percent of Black households lived in poverty in 2024, compared with about 9 percent of white households. The median Black household annual income was about $56,000 in 2024, compared with about $88,000 for white households. The Black unemployment rate in November was 8.3 percent, compared with 3.9 percent for whites.
Yet instead of trying to narrow the gaps separating Black and white Americans, as King advocated, Trump is focused on eliminating supposed discrimination against white people — especially white men.
Trump issued three executive orders at the start of his second term declaring diversity, equity and inclusion programs to be “illegal and immoral discrimination.” This ended such programs in the federal government and successfully pressured many businesses, nonprofits and colleges to scale them back or end them.