Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was an incredibly influential person in American history as a Civil Rights leader and protester. As such, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) was established as a federal holiday in 1983. The event held significant cultural weight, bringing hope and positivity for the oppressed.
According to Axios, this year, President Donald Trump has made some changes to the way MLK Day was celebrated across the nation alongside the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). All programs for MLK Day were paused, as well as other programs for Black History Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pride Month, and Juneteenth.
On top of the previously mentioned changes, the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, a famous path led by Martin Luther King Jr. during a civil rights protest. This is also where he made his famous “I have a dream” speech, so changing the face of the historic trail has a lot of significance, given the impact of that speech. Over 80 items found on the trail will be removed by the Department of Interior (DOI), with them stating those items are in relation to topics like slavery and Jim Crow.
Austin American-Statesman says, previously, on MLK Day, free entry was allowed at the national parks, but this is another change made by Trump. There will be no free entry on MLK Day anymore, but there will be on Trump’s birthday instead, on June 14. Free entry will also no longer be given on Juneteenth.
Over the past few years, the classrooms across the U.S. have seen changes in the curriculum with many states altering how they speak about King. According to Truthout, in Texas, a bill was signed to no longer require teachings about the “I have a dream” speech, a book about MLK was removed from curriculum in Tennessee, and many other states.
Axios says that Martin Luther King III, his son, has made many comments on these changes. He mentions seeing an active attempt to erase his father from history and says this makes it harder to teach the whole truth. King III has spent decades trying to preserve the progress and impact his father made on this country.
With these changes, the way our country views and celebrates MLK Day will be shifted for years to come, and in the words of Martin Luther King III, “makes it harder to progress to justice”.
