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MLK Day coincides with Trump's inauguration, a rare

occurrence

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Activists plan rallies, meetings to counter Trump's

policies

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Corporations have cut back on diversity initiatives

By Bianca Flowers

Jan 18 (Reuters) - As the United States prepares to

honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and fight for

equality, civil rights leaders are organizing efforts to counter

policies expected from President-elect Donald Trump that they

believe will undermine decades of progress.

Carrying out mass deportations and dismantling diversity

initiatives and programs have become a priority of the

Republican Party's agenda. Trump has said he plans to challenge

policies aimed at boosting diversity at companies and

universities when he takes office, frequently attacking what he

calls "woke" culture, a term for those focused on racial and

social justice but which is used by conservatives to disparage

progressive policies.

Activists and organizations are holding rallies leading up to

MLK Day and convening meetings with state lawmakers to

strategize on how to safeguard policies and avoid funding cuts

to social service programs that largely support Black and Latino

communities. They're also planning counter challenges against

corporations that have rolled back or eliminated diversity

initiatives.

"Our concern and our emphasis is going to be on his policy

announcements," said Marc Morial, president of the National

Urban League. "We will resist and oppose."

Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

With a Republican-controlled Senate and House, Trump wields

executive power to implement policy from his first day in

office. However, experts say some actions could be subject to

legal and constitutional challenges as they can't override laws

passed by Congress and require compliance with judicial rulings.

This year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day coinciding with Trump's

Jan. 20 swearing-in is a rare occurrence that's only happened

twice in history. The last time this occurred was former

President Barack Obama's second term. The second inauguration of

the nation's first Black president was viewed by many as

symbolic of the progress made towards civil rights.

Dr. Bernice King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for

Nonviolent Social Change, told Reuters the day will serve as a

dual moment to honor her father's legacy of non-violence and

unity, while calling on Americans to keep up the fight.

"We an opportunity to take seriously

what my father has been saying to us as a nation - to hold

strong to those ideals that he taught us," King said. "Don't

forget that they showed us that it is possible to keep moving

forward and fighting for freedom, justice, and democracy -

cultivating it, protecting it, and advancing it."

National Action Network founder Rev. Al Sharpton underscored the

importance for policymakers and grassroots leaders to reevaluate

their approach and unify. "We don't fight without changing

legislation. It takes time, but it happens," said Sharpton.

Kimberly Conway, senior policy counsel for the ACLU, said

some Democratic lawmakers have already issued state mandates to

support non-discrimination and equal opportunities.

"We're advocating that they go even further with respect to

those mandates."

Some corporations that implemented diversity, equity and

inclusion practices following the 2020 killing of George Floyd

by a Minneapolis police officer have scrapped programs over the

past year after pressure from anti-DEI conservatives. Walmart ( WMT )

, the nation's largest employer, faced fierce criticism

from civil rights activists after announcing it would eliminate

some of its diversity policies - including from a group of

shareholders who penned a letter to Walmart's ( WMT ) CEO this week.

As political lobbying has shifted toward leveraging

influence over corporations, Sharpton said traditional

organizing tactics - similar to the Montgomery Bus Boycott -

could pressure companies to reconsider their actions by

targeting their bottom line.

"We're forming a commission that will include other civil

rights groups that will study for 90 days, the businesses

announcing they're coming out of DEI. You can go with Trump's

philosophy, but it's going to cost you."

Supporters of Trump's proposals argue that certain DEI

initiatives amount to discrimination. Camilla Moore, the

chairwoman of the Georgia Black Republican Council, who is

attending the inauguration, said she's looking forward to

Trump's policy actions.

"I think the Trump administration should take a look at

removing any remaining barriers. There should not be any

barriers between me and a white person from pursuing our

dreams."

Trump has

repeatedly claimed

he's "been the best president for the Black population

since Abraham Lincoln,"

often pointing to lower Black unemployment numbers and

programs started under his first term. Some supporters have also

credited him for passing criminal justice legislation to address

mass incarceration, such as the

First Step Act

, a bipartisan bill on sentencing reform that

disproportionately impacted Black men - an initiative that

advocates have pushed lawmakers on for decades.

Clayborne Carson, a historian at Stanford University who edited

and published King's autobiography, said there was clearly not

going to be major civil rights legislation in the near future.

"What we're going to have is a different kind of society," he

said. "It's up to us to decide whether it will become more

egalitarian or less so."