Civil rights leaders joined forces at the National Action Network’s (NAN) annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legislative Breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel in Northwest D.C. on Wednesday to address attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
Major companies patronized by minorities including Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford and Meta have rolled back diversity efforts in recent weeks.
“They may have the votes in the House and they may have the votes in the Senate, but we control our dollars. We’re going to outline those major corporations that want to end DEI, then we want to end them having a diverse consumer base,” the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of NAN, told the crowd. “You don’t want us in the C suite, then you don’t want us in the supermarket. You don’t want us on your boards, then you don’t want us getting online and hitting you.”
Sharpton said he and eight partner organizations plan to employ strategies used by King in the Montgomery Bus Boycott to hit companies where it hurts.
“I want those corporations to know that there will be a cost for you crossing your consumers, and that nobody in Washington can make us buy where we’re not respected,” he emphasized.
Special guest speaker Vice President Kamala Harris, who regularly attends the annual breakfast also emphasized the need to fight for justice in the days and years ahead.
“In the words of Coretta Scott King, ours is the journey. And the fight that we are in, which is the fight to uplift the people, the fight for freedom, the fight for civil rights, the fight for dignity, the fight for human rights, must be fought in one with each generation,” Harris affirmed.
Lawmakers Promise to ‘Fight Back’
Lawmakers in attendance also addressed the new tune of Fortune 500 companies that committed to uplifting diversity initiatives and inclusionary practices in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“Many in this town, who are attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, I think they’re using these attacks as a shield to hide their own mediocrity and incompetence. Diversity, equity and inclusion are not foreign values,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated. “These are American values. The creed of this country, the motto, ‘e pluribus unum,’ out of many, one.”
Jeffries will likely lead the Democratic charge against Republicans in the next legislative cycle where the party will need to seek out bipartisan support to pass bills for their constituencies. However, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) noted that Republicans have a very slim majority.
“Next week, Donald Trump will take the Office, Office with a Republican-led House and Senate and a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, and while the headwinds against us are strong, we are by no means powerless to fight back,” Clarke said passionately.
“Our strength and our unity are our greatest assets. And because of the work of Leader Jeffries and our new and returning members, House Republicans are in the slimmest majority in nearly a century.”
Clarke said the CBC will be a powerful tool in the 119th Congress.
“We will leverage our power to bring Republicans to the table and push back against the MAGA extremism and the Project 2025 agenda. As we enter this next chapter, the CBC will stand firm against any effort to roll back our rights or strip away our fundamental freedoms and our human dignity,” she added. “We will stand firm against the efforts to demonize diversity and cut off access to economic opportunity in our communities.”
Vice President Harris who routinely attends the annual breakfast emphasized the importance of pushing forward and positive progress as a key aspect of success.
“How we measure the win is, are we making progress? How we measure the win is based on the knowledge that it is an enduring fight and that we must be strong, and that whatever the outcome of any particular moment, we can never be defeated,” Harris said speaking to a crowd that included fellow speakers Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Andrea Waters King and Martin Luther King III.
“Our spirit can never be defeated, because when that happens, we won’t win. And as far as I know and am concerned, when I look at the group of leaders here, this is a group of winners,” the vice president continued.
In her last days as vice president, she offered a call to action.
“So, let’s stay in the fight. Let’s do what we’ve got to do. And again, I thank you, NAN, for all that you have done for me and so many people who are not in this room.”