MLK Day becomes a political battleground as activists push to reclaim King’s radical legacy

As Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed nationwide, activists including the Movement for Black Lives and civil-rights groups push a 'Reclaim MLK Day' agenda to center King’s radical legacy and ongoing calls for racial and economic justice, amid a political climate of DEI rollbacks under the Trump era and broad debates over King's message. Conservative voices urge focusing on character over race, while groups warn of heightened scrutiny and violence against communities of color. Some events, like Indiana University’s King Day dinner, have been canceled due to budgets and political pressure, though the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis goes ahead with free admission; the National Park Service changed free-entry policies for King Day and Juneteenth; and the White House has yet to comment. The episode comes amid incidents such as a fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting, underscoring ongoing civil rights tensions.