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Former Oregon lawmaker Margaret Carter speaks Monday at the Hyatt Regency in Northeast Portland, Jan. 20, 2024, for Monday's World Arts Foundation Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event.
Erik Neumann / OPB
Residents of the Portland area gathered Monday to celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., reflecting on progress toward the civil rights leader’s goals, even as some felt the tension of presidential politics.
The Hyatt Regency in Northeast Portland filled with music and singing as the MLK celebration kicked off. It marked the 39th annual MLK Day event put on by the World Arts Foundation, which focuses on African American contributions to American culture, especially in Portland’s Albina District.
While not overtly political, some speakers addressed the legacy of Dr. King, in light of Monday also being the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Speakers included Margaret Carter, a former Democratic state senator who was the first Black woman elected to the Oregon Legislature. She urged listeners to fight new threats to justice, equal rights and fairness from the incoming administration.
“Dr. King said the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy. And it’s on with this incoming administration,” Carter said.
Monday’s theme was “beyond resilience towards empowerment.”
“We’re going to need to fight like hell all over again for justice, equal rights and fairness,” Carter said. “Trump has already said he intends to remove diversity and inclusion as a mandate from businesses.”
Among his first moves after taking office Monday, Trump issued an executive order that removed a Biden administration push to examine diversity in federal hiring, according to The 19th. Trump said the move was an advancement toward a “colorblind and merit-based” society.
Other speakers in Portland were less pointed in their speeches.
Dr. Shon Neyland, the senior pastor at Highland Christian Center, referenced the message of a different president – Abraham Lincoln – as a way to fulfill Dr. King’s dream of equality.
“America is so strong. But the only thing that will ever stop America is ourselves,” Neyland said. “A divided America will stop the American dream, the dream that Dr. King spoke about.”
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Dr. Shon Neyland spoke during the Jan. 20, 2025 MLK Day event in NE Portland. Neyland is the senior pastor at Highland Christian Center.
Erik Neumann / OPB
Neyland said he wished President Trump had taken the opportunity of Monday’s inauguration to address King’s ongoing legacy. Trump briefly cited the civil rights leader Monday, saying “we will strive together to make his dream a reality.”
Multiple speakers also described the federal holiday as a chance to look at the legacy of Dr. King and note progress since the civil rights era in America, in particular when it comes to education.
Donny Adair, the master of ceremonies at Monday’s event, said increased opportunity has made America better.
“That’s what gives me hope, is even in my own family, I can see how people have taken the opportunities after these barriers were lifted and get a good education,” Adair said. “But others are still facing the barriers.”
During her fiery speech, former senator Carter recalled lessons from Black leaders who strove for justice like Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, Sojourner Truth and Dr. King.
“Every defeat, every loss, every heartbreak contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance,” she said, “and god knows, we’re going to have to in these next four years.”