By Dr. Zekeh Gbotokuma
Every January, on Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Day, millions of people in the United States and around the world honor the iconic Civil Rights Movement leader and renew their commitment to keeping his great legacy alive, while others are doing everything to erase it from history. Believe it or not, the 47th U.S. president is the top U.S. political leader who is openly committed to dismantling King’s legacy thereby turning his “Dream” into a nightmare, especially for Blacks, Brown people, and women.
To this end, he and the loyalist members of his administration deliberately misuse and misinterpret King’s “Dream” to justify racist, sexist, and demonstrably White supremacist agenda. Upon becoming the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 2025, Trump signed numerous executive orders (EOs), one of which was a declaration of war on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). I am referring to his highly controversial “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (EO 14173 of Jan. 21, 2025). Section 1 of the order states its purpose as follows:
“Longstanding Federal civil-rights laws protect individual Americans from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. These civil-rights protections serve as a bedrock supporting equality of opportunity for all Americans. As President, I have a solemn duty to ensure that these laws are enforced for the benefit of all Americans.”
Throughout the first year of Trump 2.0, fighting discrimination has been framed as discriminatory against Whites. This is apparent in many absurd moves, including but not limited to the fact that, “The very presence of Black people in positions of authority has been associated with the derogatory embodiment of DEI,” Kimberlé W. Crenshaw asserted in a May 2025 Time magazine article.
Trump 2.0’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, coincided – ironically – with Dr. Martin L. King Day. In an effort to show how much he knew about the iconic civil rights leader, the newly crowned “wannabe King” quoted something from MLK’s memorable “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 be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
In a strange agreement with many people of goodwill who want to make King’s statement an actionable ideal, Trump stated, “We will strive together to make his dream a reality.” But as good as this statement sounds, Trump’s intention was to misinterpret and distort King’s dream. His intention became clear when he stated, “We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”
But is this what King really meant? Did he expect the American people to be so colorblind, so morally and legally indifferent and confused that they have to normalize injustice and defend the indefensible? Interestingly and ironically, there was no shortage of references to, and misinterpretations of King’s message on Trump’s Inauguration Day. This was apparent, for example, in the inaugural prayer by Rev. Lorenzo Sewell, a Black pastor from Detroit. As a token of gratitude to the almighty God for sending Trump to deliver the nation from another “carnage,” so to speak, he prayed that “for such a time as this, that America would begin to dream again. … We pray that you use our president, that we will live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. …” Good grief! This is exactly the kind of African-American man to whom Trump referred in his famous “I love Black men” comment during his Oct. 12, 2024, campaign rally in Reno, Nev.
Luckily, there are so many King scholars ready to correct misinterpretations and distortions of “the Dream.” For example, MLK’s daughter Bernice King rejects any suggestions that her father would support colorblindness and the assault on DEI and affirmative action in favor of “meritocracy” a la Trump. Urging everyone to get her “Daddy’s Dream” right, she stated on X (formerly Twitter) that, “My father’s dream and work included eradicating racism, not ignoring it.” Moreover, she invited everyone to correct misinterpretations and distortions of her father’s message by reading his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” especially the following warning line, “Don’t pray the Dream in pursuit of false peace, which cries for unity while decrying inclusive and equitable policies and practices.” Undoubtedly, this line is a clear denunciation of the assault on DEI, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), critical race theory (CRT), and “wokism” in support of African Americans’ relentless call for reparations and other social justice-based policies.
Bernice King seized other opportunities to educate some members of the Trump administration who continue to assault DEI for the wrong reason. Almost one year after addressing Trump’s erroneous interpretation of MLK’s dream, she had something to say about Vice President JD Vance’s controversial assertion that DEI is a “deliberate discrimination against White men.”
Indeed, Trump’s loyalist vice president did something that was consistent with the MAGA administration’s code of conduct, so to speak. He reposted EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’ message encouraging White men to sue their employers if they feel they’ve been wronged. Her video message read:
“Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the @USEEOC as soon as possible. The EEOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating ALL race and sex discrimination — including against white male employees and applicants. Visit http://EEOC.gov to learn more and read our one-page explainer about DEI-related discrimination.”
But why is the EEOC so committed to cracking down on the supposedly “illegal discrimination” resulting from DEI programs and the so-called “anti-American bias?” Why is the hiring of qualified or overqualified women and ethnic minorities an anti-American bias? Why is it so complicated for the 47th administration to understand that any initiative intended to ensure that qualified women and minority job applicants are treated fairly is good for everyone’s pursuit of happiness? I believe that the assault on DEI and the assertion of White male victimhood are deeply rooted in some sort of “presumption of incompetence.” In other words, the EEOC message and Vance’s assertion that DEI is a “deliberate discrimination against White men” are predicated on the belief that all women and minority candidates are presumed incompetent unless proven otherwise.
I am afraid in many cases, the presumption of incompetence has become such a big article of faith among anti-DEI warriors that there is no need to prove anything. This is exactly the kind of mindset that has led to the frequent references to successful female and minority candidates – including, for example, such brilliant people as former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji B. Jackson – as “DEI hires,” “low IQ” and similar titles. These terms are often used in a pejorative sense to suggest that merit did not play any role in their selection, election, appointment and hiring.
Ironically, some of the anti-DEI warriors are DEI beneficiaries. They are women. They are Black and Brown. For example, Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Black Republican from Florida, stated on X, “DEI should be abolished, permanently. I never want to be chosen, promoted, or rewarded because of how I look. I want to earn every opportunity on merit, through hard work, grit, discipline, and determination. Equality means equal standards, not engineered outcomes. The dignity of achievement comes from effort, not entitlement. Judge me by my character, my competence, and my results. Anything less is an insult to everyone striving to be their best.”
It is an understatement to say that this statement disregards the reality of the presumption of incompetence. The statement shares the EEOC Chair’s and JD Vance’s anti-DEI position. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Vance took many steps further by claiming that DEI isn’t just, “lame diversity seminars or racial slogans. It was a deliberate program of discrimination primarily against White men.” At a Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December 2025, he also reconfirmed his full support for Trump’s “victorious” war on DEI.
“We don’t treat anybody different because of their race or their sex,” Vance told the crowd. “So we have relegated DEI to the dustbin of history, which is exactly where it belongs. In the United States of America, you don’t have to apologize for being White anymore. And if you’re an Asian, you don’t have to talk around your skin color when you’re applying for college. Because we judge people based on who they are, not on ethnicity and things they can’t control. We don’t persecute you for being male, for being straight, for being gay, for being anything. The only thing that we demand is that you be a great American patriot. And if you’re that, you’re very much on our team.”
Bernice King joined many Americans – including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – in expressing outrage at Vance’s statement. She wrote on social media, “@ JDVance Help me with this. In my 62 years, I don’t recall white people ever having to apologize for being white in America. The courage to tell the truth about the advantages white people have had in this country is the real issue. It’s time to stop reframing accountability as injury and start reckoning honestly with history, power, and responsibility—so we can move toward repair justice, and a shared future where dignity is not selective.”
Walz saw in Vance’s statement a confirmation of “White supremacy” and (re)institutionalized racism. “This is what happens when they target communities for their own benefit; this is what happens when they scapegoat, and this is what happens when they no longer hide the idea of White supremacy,” Walz said during a press conference. “When you hear the vice president of the United States talk about ‘Now White people won’t have to apologize for being White.’ That’s never once happened in my whole damn life.”
It is unfortunate that many policies and programs intended to protect the most vulnerable population groups and alleviate poverty are met with opposition from private and public interest groups, including but not limited to the current U.S. government. It is worrisome that DEI has been so demonized and vilified that it has become a dirty and even a dangerous term or initiative for some people and organizations.
May the celebration of Dr. Martin L. King’s Day be an opportunity to learn, understand and act on the true meaning of his dream rather than distorting it for questionable economic and sociopolitical agenda.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.