‘Tell the Truth’: Martin Luther King. Jr.’s Daughter Slams Trump’s Claim That White People Have Been ‘Badly Treated’ Since the Civil Rights Act Passed
After President Donald Trump said in an interview last week that landmark civil rights laws have resulted in white people being “very badly treated” and facing “reverse discrimination,” Bernice King endeavored to set the record straight. “Let’s tell the truth,” the 62-year-old daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., posted on X on Tuesday. “President Trump’s claim that the 1964 Civil Rights Act caused harm to white people is a false narrative that distorts history and obscures reality. Bernice King and US Donald Trump (Photos: Getty Images) “My father, Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, Amelia Boynton and many others did not work for racial and economic justice to divide this nation,” she continued. “They put themselves in harm’s way and suffered state sanctioned violence because America systemically and abhorrently denied freedom, dignity, opportunity, and protection to millions of Black people. https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/2011152258667319708?s20 “Nonviolence requires truth telling and courageous action. Creating the Beloved Community requires rejecting fear based myths, defending civil rights, educating ourselves and others about what really happened, and organizing across differences to eradicate injustice and expand dignity for everyone. “Creating the Beloved Community also requires understanding that honorable equity does not equal oppression for a group accustomed to prospering at the expense of other groups.” ‘That Is Crazy Work’: White House Tries to Brag About Trump’s Big Accomplishment — But Everyone Zooms In on the Same Embarrassing Error Last week, when asked by The New York Times whether protections that began in the 1960s, spurred by the passage of the Civil Rights Act, had resulted in discrimination against white men, Trump said he believed “a lot of people were very badly treated.” “White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well and they were not invited to go into a university to college,” he said, an apparent reference to affirmative action in college admissions. “So I would say in that way, I think it was unfair in certain cases.” He added: “I think it was also, at the same time, it accomplished some very wonderful things, but it also hurt a lot of people — people that deserve to go to a college or deserve to get a job were unable to get a job. So it was, it was a reverse discrimination.” Trump’s comments reflect the emphasis in his administration on eradicating policies that promote racial diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and on promoting the idea that white people are now the true victims of discrimination in America. The Justice Department under Trump has issued directives to halt the investigation of hundreds of racial discrimination cases and to close others, particularly those that rely on the concept of disparate impact, a bedrock civil rights law tenet that deems policies and practices discriminatory if they disproportionately harm certain groups, even without proof of intentional bias. The Justice Department said in December that it would no longer investigate accusations of systemic racism or sexism, drastically limiting how college students, parents, and employees can accuse a university or employer of discrimination without proving intent. The wild turnabout in anti-discrimination mission focus under Trump is nowhere more evident than at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which was formed in 1965 under the Civil Rights Act. Last month, EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, appointed by Trump, posted a video on social media inviting white men who have encountered DEI-related discrimination to file complaints. https://twitter.com/andrealucasEEOC/status/2001439099907961012?s20 “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?” she asked in the now-viral video. “You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the EEOC as soon as possible. Time limits are typically strict for filing a claim.” Her video was reposted by Vice President JD Vance, who, in a separate post, called DEI programs “discrimination primarily against white men,” reported NBC News. NAACP President Derrick Johnson also denounced the president’s recent comments on the alleged harms caused to white Americans by the civil rights movement. "Donald Trump knows he is lying through his teeth,” he said in a statement. “The issue isn't that he is unaware of the history or lacks education, it's that deception is the point.” There is "zero evidence, none, that the civil rights movement harmed white people in any way," Johnson added."Trump does this all the time. He deliberately invents a false reality to lay the groundwork for policies that further benefit the top one percent by privatizing government services and stripping resources away from underserved communities." “We’re days away from hearing that the greatest lasting impact of slavery is that white people have to learn about it,” wrote Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on X this week in response to Trump’s complaints. “He’s still mad that he & his father got caught violating the Fair Housing Act in 1973,” posited X user Chill Wind. “He’s mistaking ‘treated very badly’ with being held accountable 🤡🤡” noted barbs2easau in a response to Bernice King’s statement on Instagram. “My heart hurts! I could cry every day for the damage this out of touch bigoted old man is doing to this world after the actual truly inspirational, brave, fair and just people that came before him. It’s heartbreaking” replied naomijohannna. “History will reveal his attempt to take the clock back did not prevail,” wrote sheshescloset.
