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In 2016, after Donald Trump came into office, the bust of Dr. Martin Luther King mysteriously disappeared from its prominent spot in the Oval Office.
Trump also passed on conducting the ceremony to hang the Obamas’ portraits in the White House.
Now, four years later, Trump is back, elected once again to the highest office in the land and arguably to preside over the most powerful nation in the world.
The irony of his swearing-in ceremony occurring on the same day we celebrate Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s birthday is not lost on me.
It’s obvious the contrast between the two men, one who literally died for freedom, and the other who is dying to take away everyone else’s.
What I find striking is the “Dream,” the idea of Americans being judged by their character, versus the color of their skin, has not been realized.
A large majority of voters, predominantly White males and females, voted against their own interests in hopes of forcing their religious ideology, usurping control over women’s bodies, deporting undocumented Brown people and erasing the contributions of Black Americans to our country, while also supporting the elimination of programs that bridged the gaps of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Racism, bigotry, and misogyny are surging back with the support of our elected officials, our most powerful court and financially backed by our billionaire oligarchs.
Americans fought to make Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday, in hopes that his life would be an example of our common good.
However, the recent reelection of a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist who ignited an insurrection then mishandled our most classified documents, is proof that we are neither ready, nor worthy, of Dr. King’s “Dream.”
Because so many voted for hate over hope or stayed home due to apathy or protest, Trump is the leader that America has earned.
Rodney C. Dukes lives in the Sherman Park neighborhood.
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