Martin Luther King III says his father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would be “quite disappointed” with the world today.
King III made the statement on the eve of the federal MLK Day holiday, which is celebrated on the third Monday of January every year.
King appeared on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” where he was asked about the state of the nation and what his father would think about the world today.
“He’d be quite disappointed, quite frankly, that we are where we are,” King replied. “Probably wouldn’t be surprised, but he certainly would be disappointed because he always infused energy that was positive, bringing out the best of who we as Americans are.”
King, a lifelong Democrat, continued: “Unfortunately, in great tragedy, we see the best of who Americans are. But when it’s over, we go back to our corners and live in bubbles and separate. We need to exhibit the behavior that we exhibit in tragedy universally, all the time.”
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the nation’s 47th President at noon on Monday, Jan. 20., and King said he hopes Trump will “be in dialogue with everybody.”
“If you really want to bring the nation together so that it is the manifestation of what we call ourselves, the United States of America, we’re not reflective of the United States of America right this moment, in my judgment,” King said.
In this viral video from 1967, some people believe Martin Luther King Jr. was discussing reparations when he said, “We are coming to Washington to get our check.” The civil rights icon was assassinated a year later in Memphis, Tennessee.
The bitter cold weather in Washington, DC has forced the Inauguration ceremonies to move indoors for the first time in decades. The temperature in the U.S. Capitol is expected to be around 20-degrees with a dangerous wind chill factor in the single digits.
The parade, featuring the HBCU Mississippi Valley State University band, will also be held indoors – at a downtown arena on Monday.
Trump said that those who traveled to D.C. for the Inauguration can view the ceremonies in the Capital One Arena.
MLK Day parades have been canceled in Georgia after an arctic blast of air rushed in overnight bringing below zero wind chill factors.
Snow is possible this week in the Atlanta area for the second time this month.
