Dr. Zekeh Gbotokuma argues that the 47th president’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion distorts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision by promoting a false notion of “colorblind” meritocracy. He contends that Executive Order 14173 and related rhetoric recast efforts to remedy historic discrimination as bias against White men, reinforcing a “presumption of incompetence” toward women and minorities. Drawing on Bernice King and other scholars, Gbotokuma maintains that King called for confronting racism—not ignoring it—and warns that dismantling DEI threatens civil-rights gains and deepens inequality.