Tomorrow is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. It is also Inauguration Day. I can’t help but feel heartbroken about the contradictions of this moment, because the incoming administration represents a concentrated version of what Dr. King called “the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and extreme materialism.” There’s no doubt that we are headed into tough times.
Right now, immigrant families are bracing for mass arrests, separations and deportations. The LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones fear attacks from MAGA followers. And every one of us who fights for a country where we can all live together in justice and love knows that our vision for what we can build together will be challenged every day over the next four years.
Heading into Donald Trump’s inauguration, we’ll see this “extreme materialism” on full display. Billionaires will sit next to Trump onstage. Giant corporations have poured millions into lavish parties to curry favor with a president who plans to appoint at least 13 billionaires into positions of power.
They’ve come to Washington for tax cuts, to bust unions and to strip our communities of protections. And even while the climate crisis they’ve set in motion is burning down the places we live in, they’ve come to send a message: we run this town.
But we have a message for them: we built this country and our democracy, brick by brick. We belong here, and this country belongs to us.
Working people of every race, gender, and background have made our country the most prosperous place on Earth–yet for decades, corporate profits and CEO salaries have climbed while we make less and pay more.
We’ve known for decades that when our government puts big corporations and billionaires like Elon Musk first, all families lose. Trump and his new buddies have made big promises they cannot keep, so we will be here to help people see through their lies to find common ground as a multiracial working class.
Here’s what I want to say to you now: I know we can win, even in tough times. Dr. King’s great victories felt far away during his lifetime, yet the movement for civil rights he championed grew its power even through the darkest days of the Jim Crow era. Every lever of official power was used against organizers, yet they never gave up. They won small victories that built on each other, growing until they formed a mountaintop.
Dr. King never gave up, and neither will we. He teaches us that what is “right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” So as we enter tough times, let’s follow his advice: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
We will always move forward, together.
Donate now to support our work, and get involved as a volunteer today.
In solidarity,
Sulma Arias
People’s Action