As we stood at the crossroads of history on January 20, 2025, we were confronted with two starkly different futures.
On one side of the Capitol, a twice-impeached convicted felon, committed to depriving people of color of affordable health care, education and a sustainable future, was sworn in as president.
On the other side, thousands converged on Washington to pledge their allegiance to the continuation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality, fairness and justice for all Americans.
I marched with those who chose to be on the right side of history. I am 82 but I intend to keep on marching and protesting. I began my first march in the 1960s as a student working to register Black people to vote in Tennessee.
Coming from the South, I was so naive I did not know that showing up in public after dark or going into white stores with interracial friends was a dangerous terrifying venture. My group was chased by the Ku Klux Klan and we felt blessed to escape with our lives.
I kept on marching, protesting and as a writer, most of the time as the biographer of Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
I saw how committed nonviolent warriors, those who would struggle and trade their blood for freedom, could overcome most anything. I was amazed at the fortitude of Mrs. King to fight for this holiday, rear her four children and continue the movement 30 years after her beloved husband was murdered.
In the ’60s when I entered the struggle for justice, there were no thoughts of an African American president, a Black woman on the Supreme Court or a multicultural vice president — we couldn’t even vote in the South or attend schools that were desegregated.
Today, we now have 62 Blacks in Congress, Black billionaires, like David Steward in St. Louis and others, who contribute to their communities, and the Black gross national buying power is estimated at $1.6 trillion.
I would be foolish not to be optimistic about our future. I understand we have come this far by faith and hard work, and we will not sit quietly as we are being pushed back possibly as far as when in 1857 the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott Decision ruled Black people had no rights that whites had to respect.
Trump represents a vision of America that is exclusionary and unjust. His path includes policies that have consistently targeted marginalized communities, particularly people of color, by undermining their access to essential services such as health care and education.
MLK’s path is rooted in the belief that all people, regardless of race, creed or socioeconomic status, deserve access to affordable health care, quality education and a sustainable future. It envisions an America where diversity is celebrated, and the rights of all citizens are protected.
Nonviolence is a cornerstone of this movement. Unlike the violent mob that ransacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these marchers were dedicated to peaceful protest. They drew strength from the Bible, which says not to fret over the crimes of evildoers as they will ultimately be crushed like blades of grass.
Their faith in a higher power. Their unwavering dedication to justice provides a moral compass that guides their actions and lights a path of righteousness. It’s a path we must follow.
Barbara Reynolds is a Washington Informer columnist and former editorial staff member for USA TODAY