Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Pressley celebrates MLK Day in Roxbury during Trump’s inauguration
Pressley announced her intention to boycott President Donald Trump's second inauguration earlier this month.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley stayed in her district for Inauguration Day, “choosing community over chaos” during an event to honor Martin Luther King Jr. in Roxbury Monday.
Pressley announced earlier this month her intention to boycott the inauguration ceremony in Washington and instead host a “Day of Beloved Community” in Nubian Square. She also spoke at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast earlier Monday morning, where Sen. Ed Markey also spoke in lieu of attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Community members, local leaders, and constituents gathered at the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The MLK Day celebration included face-painting, food, and a message of hope while Trump was sworn in as president nearly 400 miles away.
Advertisement:
“Today’s event is about reminding us all that regardless of who sits behind the desk in the Oval Office or who holds the gavel in Congress, the power to enact transformative change has always resided in the people,” Pressley told the crowd.
Representatives from the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, or MIRA, and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement joined Pressley around 2 p.m. for opening remarks.
Maroni Minter, an immigrant born in Gabon, spoke about two state legislative efforts to improve legal access for immigrants and protecting immigrants’ right to seek justice without being questioned about their immigration status. Trump has promised mass deportation of migrants on “day one.”
Advertisement:
“Dr. King taught us the power of solidarity, and it is vital that we recognize how racism, xenophobia, and inequality are interconnected,” Minter, of MIRA, said. “Together, we must and we will dismantle these barriers and build a society rooted in equity and inclusion for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or immigration status.”
Pressley invoked multiple sentiments from King, from choosing “community over chaos” and “to accept disappointment and cling to hope.” She spoke about using King’s example to “have the imagination to envision a more just world, the strategy to bring it to fruition and the stamina to see it through.”
Anne Rousseau, a resident of Jamaica Plain and the co-chair of JP Progressives, said she fears that Trump’s incoming presidency will send the country backwards into a “racist” and “homophobic” society. But, Rousseau said Pressley “always inspires me to show up.”
“I think her speaking out matters. I think she brings hope to people. She inspires people,” Rousseau said. “Being in community is where I choose to be, and where she, I think, inspires a lot of people to be.”
Advertisement:
Kenann McKenzie-DeFranza, an elected member of the Beverly School Committee, heard about the event through Pressley’s mailing list. She said the event could inspire, especially on a day when some may feel disillusioned.
“I like seeing our young people here. I heard quite a bit about how young people were feeling frustrated and disengaged,” she said. “I hope that events like this help them to see that you don’t have to be doing major, big things to show up and just participate.”
When speaking to reporters, Pressley said that Trump’s threats so far have been “very predictable,” and that she hadn’t heard his inaugural address yet.
“But, Dr. King said that it’s important that we study the words of our oppressors to inform our strategy,” Pressley said, “so I will make sure that I watch his address, and it will formidably inform our strategy moving forward.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com