The Movement for Black Lives, a collective of more than 50 activist groups from across the nation, announced on Wednesday, Jan. 11, a week-long initiative marked with demonstrations and resistance efforts aimed at halting the controversial political agenda of incoming president Donald Trump.
From Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16 until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, the movement has called on all affiliated organizations to launch a series of daily actions meant to challenge Trump’s presidential efforts, which include repealing the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, spearheading the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and criminalizing/banning all Muslims from entering the United States, among other things.
“No matter where you are in the world, the name Martin Luther King Jr. is synonymous with freedom, equality and hope,” organizers said on the M4BL.net website. “But, this year will be different. Just four days after MLK Day, we’ll witness the inauguration of a president who is the antithesis of everything Dr. King stood for; a demagogue who galvanized millions by spewing hate and promising to harm the most vulnerable in this nation.”
“Black people and other people of color are being targeted by vigilantes, our places of worship are being burned, our children are being attacked at school and the promise of more ‘law and order’ policing leaves us even more vulnerable to police terror,” the statement continued. “The time for action is now. To emphasize the urgency of this moment and the need to resist, we’ve expanded #ReclaimMLK to #Reclaim&Resist, an entire week of actions from January 16-20.”
Mic reported that the movement’s Reclaim MLK campaign was championed by Black Youth Project 100, as well as other M4BL organizations, and inspired by Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign, an organization aimed at highlighting economic injustice in America and showing how it exacerbates racial inequality.
Major demonstrations are planned for the weekend of Trump’s inauguration, including the highly anticipated Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21. Thousands of participants are expected to rally at the U.S. Capitol in support of women’s and human rights.
For the schedule of daily actions, click here.
