Sharpton Leads MLK March Amid Trump’s Second Inauguration in D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As thousands gather in downtown Washington, D.C., on Monday for President-elect Donald Trump‘s second inauguration, Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network will host a march and rally honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., will start at McPherson Square and conclude at Metropolitan AME Church on M Street NW.

Sharpton, speaking at the annual MLK Day Birthday Breakfast on Wednesday, emphasized that the march is not a protest against the inauguration but a celebration of Dr. King’s vision. “Our rally, let me be clear, is not a rally to be like the insurrectionists of Jan. 6,” Sharpton said. “We are not rallying to protest an inauguration, we’re rallying to affirm the dream of Dr. King on Dr. King’s federal holiday — it’s a march of affirmation.”

The event comes at a politically charged moment, just days before Trump’s return to the White House. Sharpton acknowledged the challenges ahead but remained optimistic. “There will be no one way to handle this, and there’ll be no one strategy,” he said. “It’s going to be more important than ever that we all work in a unified way.”

Sharpton also outlined plans to address economic issues, particularly the preservation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which have faced criticism from Trump and Congressional Republicans. “They may have the votes in the House, they may have the votes in the Senate, but we control our dollars,” Sharpton said. “And we’re going to outline how those major corporations that want to end DEI, we want to end them having a diverse customer base.”

He warned corporations against abandoning DEI principles, stating, “If you don’t want us in the C-Suite, then you don’t want us in the supermarket. I want those corporations to know there will be a cost for you crossing your consumers, and that nobody in Washington can make us buy where we’re not respected.”

The march and rally aim to continue Dr. King’s work and ensure his dream remains alive. Sharpton stressed the importance of unity and respect for democratic processes, even in the face of political disagreements. “We respect the process, even if we don’t like the results, but we’re not going to let them kill the dream, and we’re not going to let them bring us backward,” he said.