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Dr. King's wisdom can guide us through a dark time

Martin Luther King Jr. at March on Washington in 1963
AFP via Getty Images

Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech

As we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life today, a president who stands for exclusion takes office. But King's wisdom can help us fight back, writes Imani Rupert-Gordon

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Last week would have marked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 96th birthday. As we honor his legacy today, many of us turn to his immortal “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington. We return to these words because they still capture our deepest aspirations. Decades later, his vision continues to illuminate our path forward and fuel the optimism it will take to get there.

But this year feels profoundly different. The crowd gathered on January 20 has witnessed the inauguration of a president whose vision stands in stark opposition to Dr. King’s dream. President Trump’s America is not one of hope, but of fear — and, as is often the case, more cruel.

This election’s victory came at a devastating price: the demonization of the LGBTQ community, especially transgender people. The Trump campaign weaponized racism and promised to erase historical truth in education, a move that directly hurts Black people and all people of color. On his very first day in office, he has pledged to end birthright citizenship — a direct assault on the Fourteenth Amendment’s 157-year legacy.

An assault on the Fourteenth Amendment on Dr. King’s holiday highlights the chasm between our dreams.

Many of us now grapple with an urgent question: How do we maintain purpose and optimism in the face of impending horror?

Dr. King himself wrestled with this same dilemma. In an interview four years after his iconic speech, he confessed:

“I must confess that, that dream that I had that day has in many points turned into a nightmare. Now I’m not one to lose hope, I keep on hoping. I still have faith in the future. But I’ve had to analyze many things over the last few years, and I would say over the last few months. I’ve gone through a lot of soul-searching and agonizing moments. And I’ve come to see that we have many more difficulties ahead and some of the old optimism was a little superficial and now it must be tempered with a solid realism. And I think the realistic fact is that we still have a long, long way to go.”

Dr. King taught us that even when we replace “old optimism” with “solid realism,” hope not only has a place — it becomes essential. Hope is our most powerful response to this moment. When we believe in the possibility of something better, we work to make it reality. And that work is already under way.

The coming days, weeks, months, and beyond will bring alarming declarations, but we must remember — change doesn’t happen overnight, and our resistance matters. Even when unseen, we persist in the background, protecting our communities.

We will challenge these draconian, anti-LGBTQ laws in court.

We will combat misinformation and build coalitions with all who stand for human dignity.

Even when outnumbered, we will fight as if we’re not.

Today’s social justice movements are more unified than ever before. Leaders share resources and strategies because we understand that strength lies in solidarity, and that civil rights and social justice must encompass everyone.

So today, I embrace both dimensions of Dr. King’s wisdom — his dream and his clear-eyed morning after. We can and must hold both solid realism and unwavering hope for the future we envision. Our community depends on it.

Imani Rupert-Gordon is president of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and allied community. Visit advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.


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Imani Rupert-Gordon