MLK legacy of hope resonates in Fresno, contrasts with Trump’s inaugural address | Opinion
America First or One Fresno? Just consider the stark differences in tone and substance between Fresno’s 41st Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration and the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday.
“My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all these many betrayals that have taken place and give people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” Trump said after taking the oath of office.
“An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice,” said King in his day, one of many messages of hope, service and justice he delivered that are celebrated to this day.
It was easy for me to choose between the two messages. I spent time with the people of Fresno Monday, remembering King, at the same time the 47th president of the United States was inaugurated. A diverse crowd of more than 500 participating was very appropriate.
A garlanding ceremony Friday at Fresno Courthouse Park kicked off the MLK Jr. celebrations.
Both events in Fresno proved that the legacy of MLK, who was assassinated in 1968 at 38 years of age resonates just as powerfully today as they did when the nation was torn apart by the fight for civil rights and a distant war that impacted unproportionately the lives of Black and Latino soldiers.
It remains to be seen what the second coming of the Trump administration will deliver. The largest deportation in U.S. history? A rapid drop in the price of eggs? New states in Canada and Greenland, but not Puerto Rico? A denial of birth citizenship? Tax cuts for billionaires?
In his 29-minute inaugural address, the president said, “We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed.” We’ll see if that holds true.
I’d rather believe in the message of a man who was jailed 29 times – mostly for civil disobedience – than a convicted felon who has yet to be dispatched behind bars. One thinks he’s noble, the other was a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
Words to ponder
The Trump name was never mentioned by speakers in Fresno, but you knew.
Congressmember Jim Costa, D-Fresno: “MLK’s legacy was so broad and profound in expressing democratic values that he fought for and the movement that he led. We are in a vital moment in our country today where we have some who are trying to dismantle the very voting rights act that Dr. King – and my colleague and friend John Lewis and Congressman Jim Clyburn – and so many other civil rights leaders led in the 1960s.”
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer: “As a people, we stand here today unified regardless of what might happen in Washington, D.C. Regardless of what might happen at our state Capitol. We stand here arm in arm today in Fresno as ‘One Fresno.’ It’s important that we stand together, and we pledge together to erase prejudice and discrimination within our communities.”
Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno: “Yesterday, as I was thinking what to say, I became a bit overwhelmed thinking about the juxtaposition of celebration MLK Day and the next day entering a new chapter in our American history that for many, many marginalized communities looks uncertain.”
Assemblymember Joaquin Arámbula, D-Fresno: “I’m grateful on this day of Martin Luther King that we have the opportunity to speak up for justice, that we have a chance to make sure that we are speaking up for our vulnerable communities, who too often are cast into a negative light.”
Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza: “Democracy has certainly taken us in a different direction, with many adversities to overcome in our near future. We are still walking in the footsteps of a visionary, a leader who understood that justice is not a gift we wait for, but rather a right that we demand.”
One step forward, two steps back
The most powerful message came from Wendy McCully, executive director of the Fresno Unified School District Foundation, during a 15-minute discussion at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium following a procession that began at St. John’s Cathedral.
McCully noted the backlash that happens every time progress, from the Emancipation Proclamation that effectively ended slavery in the 19th Century to the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education that ruled school segregation unconstitutional.
“The nation just inaugurated a president who is very different in beliefs and values and actions than Martin Luther King,” said McCully, who encouraged people to read the leader’s last book “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community.”
“He talks about this continuous cycle, and the issues haven’t disappeared. You hear the young people talking about it: economic justice, racial equality, health disparities,” she said. “None of that has disappeared. It has changed, but it hasn’t disappeared. So we are still in this fight and this struggle.”
Dyer, who has begun his final four-year term, campaigned with a vision for One Fresno and established a foundation to promote that message.
“We need more people like Dr. Martin Luther King, who had a vision for equality. A man who chose to not judge people but to love people,” he said. “And that’s the mayor I choose to be in this city, to judge less and love more.”
That’s a concept I can support.
This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM.