Leaders of the Cherokee Nation marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by welcoming the descendants of slaves into their tribe after years of exclusion, while King’s children and the pastor of an Atlanta church where King preached passionately decried disparaging remarks President Donald J. Trump is said to have made about African countries.
At gatherings across the nation, activists, residents and teachers honored the late civil rights leader on what would have been his 89th birthday and ahead of the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.
In Washington, King’s eldest son criticized Trump, saying, “When a president insists that our nation needs more citizens from white states like Norway, I don’t even think we need to spend any time even talking about what it says and what it is.”
He added, “We got to find a way to work on this man’s heart.”
In Atlanta, the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Raphael Warnock urged those who packed the pews to honor King to speak out against racism. Warnock also took issue with Trump’s campaign slogan to “Make America Great Again.”