Language has the power to unite or divide. It can breathe life into social movements — or rally millions to uphold white supremacy.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used language to inspire a generation of activists and civil rights leaders to change the course of history.
Frederick Douglass wrote and spoke about his experience with slavery to challenge the United States to embody the ideals it claimed to cherish.
Shirley Chisholm shattered glass ceilings by boldly sharing her truth with the country, becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
These leaders used their talents and unique experiences to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson understands the power of language as well. He has said that women should never have been given the right to vote, nor should they have any say over their reproductive autonomy. He thinks Muslims shouldn’t have religious liberties or civil rights.
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Robinson also has expressed skepticism about the Holocaust — which resulted in the slaughter of millions of Jews, Roma, people with disabilities and hom*osexuals. In his view, LGBTQ+ people are dangerous, confused pedophiles undeserving of dignity or equality.
Donald Trump called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
“I told that to Mark,” Trump said before Robinson secured the GOP gubernatorial nomination. “I said, I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.”
Robinson is an African-American leader in the South. But let me be clear: That is where the similarity with Dr. King begins and ends. Robinson’s actions and beliefs stand in complete opposition to the King legacy of peace, justice and equity. To say he is “better” than Dr. King is deeply offensive.
Another Trump sycophant, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, recently began using the phrase “say her name” to politicize the murder of Laken Riley by an undocumented migrant. #SayHerName is a rallying cry for the millions of Americans who are outraged by the killings of Black women at the hands of police, including Michelle Cusseaux, Breonna Taylor and far too many others. It is a demand that we remember their lives and act to reform a broken, racist criminal justice system. It is a demand for dignity.
Greene’s appropriation of “say her name” is a perversion of that meaning. We cannot allow ourselves to overlook how outrageous it is that, in using the phrase, she is stripping it of its unifying and righteous power to further a racist cause. It is inexcusable.
We must remember a simple fact: In the battle for the soul of our nation, language is the ultimate weapon. It centers social movements around concrete goals and inspires change. It elevates dialogue, raises consciousness and challenges us to keep moving forward.
It also has the power to subjugate and disenfranchise. We see it daily from far-right politicians like Trump, Robinson and Greene, who shamelessly misappropriate the language and symbols of liberation to rewrite history and legislate bigotry. They have used the words and images of Dr. King to advance white supremacy, bigotry, sexism, hom*ophobia and transphobia.
Contorting and misappropriating his legacy, they’ll selectively clip sermons or speeches to make their regressive points. They’ll say things like Dr. King “wanted us to forget about race” because “we’re all equal” and “we’ve achieved his dream.”
We will undoubtedly see more instances of this kind of offensive contortion as we near the 2024 election. If we truly value our democracy and the progress we’ve made, we cannot stay silent. We must remain vigilant against these linguistic perversions.
The journey before us will not be easy. There will likely be moments where all hope seems lost. In those times, I invite you to take comfort — and find strength — in the real words of Dr. King: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
Arndrea Waters King is president of the Drum Major Institute (DMI). She and her husband, human rights advocate Martin Luther King III, “work to inspire and equip the next generation of civil rights leaders.”
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