Two rituals of American civic life coincided, and perhaps collided, Monday with celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in cities and towns throughout the United States and the inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
In West Hartford, where Trump won less than 25% of the vote in each of his three runs for president, the coincidence was only lightly noted at the annual MLK celebration, until a Conard High School junior stepped to the microphone.
Asha Comiso spoke of the stubborn legacies of racism nearly 57 years after the assassination of King, including the prohibition on voting, permanently in some states, by persons with criminal convictions.
“One in every 13 voting-age African-Americans cannot vote. This rate is four times higher than all other Americans,” Comiso said. “Think about this: Criminals can’t vote, but they can become presidents.”
There was a gasp, quickly followed by laughter and applause.
“I’ll just say, Asha, you have the line of the morning,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who followed Comiso and two students from Hall High School.
But Bysiewicz, a Democrat, quickly returned to the posture adopted by Gov. Ned Lamont, at least for the first hours of the new Trump administration: She wished the new president success.
“Gov. Lamont, as we speak, is at our nation’s capital to wish our new president well, because we are all in this together, and our collective success depends on its leadership, and all of us are called upon to be part of our community’s leadership, of our state’s leadership and our country’s leadership,” Bysiewicz said.
Later, she said, “There is a concern about discrimination against so many groups of people in our country. It’s important that we stand together. That’s why the governor is in Washington right now, and we want to be good partners, and we hope the president will be a good partner with us.”
The town’s 29th annual MLK observance began at 10 a.m., attracting an audience of more than 250. Trump became president at 12:01 p.m.
In his inaugural address, Trump briefly acknowledged the slain civil rights leader but primarily in the context of the gains Trump made among minority voters in 2024. Exit polling showed Trump was supported by 16% of Black voters and 43% of Latino or Hispanic voters.
“To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records, and I will not forget it,” Trump said. “I’ve heard your voices in the campaign, and I look forward to working with you in the years to come.”
“Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in his honor — this will be a great honor, but in his honor — we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true,” Trump said.
He did not suggest how, but he promised to “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is color blind and merit based.”
In the next breath, Trump promised to erase any federal recognition of transgender persons.
“As of today,” he said, “it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”