WASHINGTON—This year, Jan. 20 marks both Inauguration Day for the Trump Administration and the celebration of the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The following is a statement from Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón: 

“Today offers two competing visions for America: one led by the well-off and well-connected and another led by ‘We the People’. 

“Donald Trump will take the oath of office in the same rotunda, where just four years ago thousands were summoned to violently overturn the will of the people.  Since then, we have witnessed ongoing attacks on our most sacred right: the freedom to vote.  

“As it was, at the founding of this country, today, an ‘elite’ few seek to preserve power for themselves and shut-out everyday people from the democratic process. The same forces have tried destroying the Voting Rights Act, an idea made law because of Dr. King, the Freedom Riders, and other civil rights heroes. 

“But we must remember there is no rainbow without a storm, no sunrise without darkness, and no spring blooms without a winter’s cold. So too is the fight for our democracy, an ongoing and necessary struggle for justice. That is what Dr. Martin Luther King taught us not just with his words, but with his actions. For he was ridiculed, threatened, and ultimately murdered in his fight for the ballot and economic justice for us all. It is in this great tradition that we position ourselves, continuing in the struggle for an accountable, just government that reflects the will of the people and not an elite few.  

“From the red hills of Georgia  to coastal waters of California, Common Cause and our 1.5 million members will be relentless and unapologetic in holding power accountable. Over the next four years, let Dr. King’s vision for a nation that lives up to its ideals unite us across race, party, and religion.”