Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We are celebrating Martin Luther King Junior Day today, which
just so happens to align with the day of the
inauguration this year, swearing in a President elect Trump for
his second term.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about it is chair of the Political
Science Department at MSU Denver. It's doctor Robert Preyce. Doctor Poryce,
thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Oh thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, it looks like it's rare, but not completely unheard
of for Inauguration Day and MLK Day to fall on
the same day. When we look at this in the past,
does it seem like it overshadows what takes place on
this day or better highlights what we see with Martin
Luther King right, Well, you.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Know, I think it actually certainly changes the context. And
so often we just have a focus on Martin Luther
King Day and then every four years around that time
is our inauguration Day. It does often highlight or underscore
some of the messaging from Martin Luther King in this
particular circumstance. I think it certainly does, you know, draw
a little attention the inauguration day draws a little attention
(00:58):
away from them.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Lkday was wondering about that, professor, And I know they
can't always help when things co leester coincide, but it
almost feels and it's again no fault of just how
the calendar delays, but it feels a little disrespectful and
takes the light off what MLK does. Has there any
been any talk about trying to at least move something
a day here or there when this when this occurs.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, and you can't really move it. January twentieth, the
set in the Constitution as the inauguration day Martin Luther
King is the third Monday of January. That happens rarely,
and this is actually the first time since nineteen eighty
six since we've had MLK Day. Hope they fall on
the same date. It's not going to happen again for
quite some time up through the fifty twenty fifties that
(01:39):
I saw, so I doubt there's much movement to change,
tho it would be hard to do.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
In the past, have we seen MLK Day be highlighted
during an inauguration ceremony some type of time during the
ceremony to highlight his work and legacy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
You know, the specific highlighting is often there, but mostly
through rhetoric and recognition of some of the movements, and
those are usually highlighted through democratic incoming presidents.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Professor, Do we feel different about MLK Day today in
light of today's inauguration or just in the general context
of where we are as a nation's society politically and
everything else.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, you know, I think that, you know, when it
comes down to it, it's an interesting juxtaposition. Right we
have MLK Day, which is celebrating a fifty sixty year
legacy since his death, of moving towards goals of equity
and equality and inclusion. I think with this particular date,
(02:39):
in this inauguration, certainly the mood of the nation is
much more torn. I don't know if it's more torn
than it was in the sixties, but certainly torn. And
we're seeing a wave of pushback against some of that
movement towards equity that was fostered and promoted by MLK.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Doctor Price, focusing on MLK for a moment, I know
that he had several visits to Denver and Littleton in
the sixties. What do we know about some of those
visits and how did they compare to what we saw
with now President Electrump visiting our area in the past
as well.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, well, certainly they weren't generally of the scale. Doctor
Martin Luther King visited probably most prominently in nineteen sixty four,
coming out by invitation from the city of Denver and
then the city of Littleton, you know, and that's a
context of segregation in Denver, of segregation both in housing
and in education, and both of those that inspired folks
(03:37):
to move forward, particularly folks like Rachel B. Noel, who's
a prominent member, was prominent member of the African American
community and pushed for desegregation in the schools. The context
was much broader in nineteen sixty four in terms of
the social issues. In twenty twenty four, of course, you
had a Trump presidential election rally, which is a little
(03:59):
bit different terms of you know, the goals and the messaging,
and that was really, you know, as a reaction to,
of course, some of the immigration issues in Aurora. Yeah,
both of them inspired their supporters, but certainly had very
different goals in mind. One was brought social goals and
the other I think was primarily an election tactic.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
One more question for me specific to mlka at a professor,
would you say, if if Martin Luther King Junior was
alive today, would you say he is seeing the progress
that he advocated for. We are in a better spot
than we were forty fifty sixty years ago.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Yeah, we are and for the most part of what
you know, I have to remember civil rights in particular,
is you know, two steps one and a half step forward,
one step back. There is always some pushback that we
see throughout our history. I think Martin Luther King would
see the progress made in terms of some of the
efforts in terms of inclusion in our society, certainly in
(04:58):
terms of inclusion of voting, some of the work and
fair housing. But also I think you would look at
some of the you know, the actual levels of say
school segregation, that he may be disappointed too. So you know,
in the big picture, yes, we are a more equitable society,
more inclusive, but there's still work to be done. And
(05:19):
I think that would be his primary.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Message, Doctor Bryce, with a few minutes we have left,
when we look at the inauguration today, do you think
we'll see a stark difference of the overall message from
President Elect Trump today than what we saw in his
first inauguration.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I don't know if we're going to see a huge difference.
We certainly got a peek at it yesterday at one
of his rallies. You know, in terms of that inauguration address,
you know, we're going to see some of the major
issues that he's going to try to put in place
or policy is going to put in place immediately through
executive orders, and those in the top of the lists
are things like immigration and raids. So I think in
(05:56):
terms of the messaging, certainly there will be some mention
and a unity of us. But for the most part,
my senses that we'll see something very similar to that
first inauguration dress and many of the stump speeches and
yesterday's speech leading up to today's events.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Final question from us, and this has to do talked
about the racial component. Are we in a better spot?
And you said yes. Are we more politically divided than say,
we were forty fifty sixty years ago?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, you know, in the political divides are wide in
both periods. I have to remember in the nineteen sixties
we also had violence out of nineteen sixty eight Democratic
National Convention and riots in the streets throughout that period.
That said, you know, we certainly are revisiting a highly
polarized political context, and you know, one of the difficulties
(06:46):
that we as society need to deal with is how
we get over this US versus them mentality in terms
of our politics and find ways to move forward and
understand that consensus is really you know what politics is
all out.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Chair of the Political Science Department at MSU Denver, it's
doctor Robert Proyce. Thank you so much for your insight
on this this morning.
We are celebrating Martin Luther King Junior Day today, which
just so happens to align with the day of the
inauguration this year, swearing in a President elect Trump for
his second term.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about it is chair of the Political
Science Department at MSU Denver. It's doctor Robert Preyce. Doctor Poryce,
thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Oh thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, it looks like it's rare, but not completely unheard
of for Inauguration Day and MLK Day to fall on
the same day. When we look at this in the past,
does it seem like it overshadows what takes place on
this day or better highlights what we see with Martin
Luther King right, Well, you.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Know, I think it actually certainly changes the context. And
so often we just have a focus on Martin Luther
King Day and then every four years around that time
is our inauguration Day. It does often highlight or underscore
some of the messaging from Martin Luther King in this
particular circumstance. I think it certainly does, you know, draw
a little attention the inauguration day draws a little attention
(00:58):
away from them.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Lkday was wondering about that, professor, And I know they
can't always help when things co leester coincide, but it
almost feels and it's again no fault of just how
the calendar delays, but it feels a little disrespectful and
takes the light off what MLK does. Has there any
been any talk about trying to at least move something
a day here or there when this when this occurs.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, and you can't really move it. January twentieth, the
set in the Constitution as the inauguration day Martin Luther
King is the third Monday of January. That happens rarely,
and this is actually the first time since nineteen eighty
six since we've had MLK Day. Hope they fall on
the same date. It's not going to happen again for
quite some time up through the fifty twenty fifties that
(01:39):
I saw, so I doubt there's much movement to change,
tho it would be hard to do.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
In the past, have we seen MLK Day be highlighted
during an inauguration ceremony some type of time during the
ceremony to highlight his work and legacy.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
You know, the specific highlighting is often there, but mostly
through rhetoric and recognition of some of the movements, and
those are usually highlighted through democratic incoming presidents.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Professor, Do we feel different about MLK Day today in
light of today's inauguration or just in the general context
of where we are as a nation's society politically and
everything else.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, you know, I think that, you know, when it
comes down to it, it's an interesting juxtaposition. Right we
have MLK Day, which is celebrating a fifty sixty year
legacy since his death, of moving towards goals of equity
and equality and inclusion. I think with this particular date,
(02:39):
in this inauguration, certainly the mood of the nation is
much more torn. I don't know if it's more torn
than it was in the sixties, but certainly torn. And
we're seeing a wave of pushback against some of that
movement towards equity that was fostered and promoted by MLK.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Doctor Price, focusing on MLK for a moment, I know
that he had several visits to Denver and Littleton in
the sixties. What do we know about some of those
visits and how did they compare to what we saw
with now President Electrump visiting our area in the past
as well.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, well, certainly they weren't generally of the scale. Doctor
Martin Luther King visited probably most prominently in nineteen sixty four,
coming out by invitation from the city of Denver and
then the city of Littleton, you know, and that's a
context of segregation in Denver, of segregation both in housing
and in education, and both of those that inspired folks
(03:37):
to move forward, particularly folks like Rachel B. Noel, who's
a prominent member, was prominent member of the African American
community and pushed for desegregation in the schools. The context
was much broader in nineteen sixty four in terms of
the social issues. In twenty twenty four, of course, you
had a Trump presidential election rally, which is a little
(03:59):
bit different terms of you know, the goals and the messaging,
and that was really, you know, as a reaction to,
of course, some of the immigration issues in Aurora. Yeah,
both of them inspired their supporters, but certainly had very
different goals in mind. One was brought social goals and
the other I think was primarily an election tactic.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
One more question for me specific to mlka at a professor,
would you say, if if Martin Luther King Junior was
alive today, would you say he is seeing the progress
that he advocated for. We are in a better spot
than we were forty fifty sixty years ago.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Yeah, we are and for the most part of what
you know, I have to remember civil rights in particular,
is you know, two steps one and a half step forward,
one step back. There is always some pushback that we
see throughout our history. I think Martin Luther King would
see the progress made in terms of some of the
efforts in terms of inclusion in our society, certainly in
(04:58):
terms of inclusion of voting, some of the work and
fair housing. But also I think you would look at
some of the you know, the actual levels of say
school segregation, that he may be disappointed too. So you know,
in the big picture, yes, we are a more equitable society,
more inclusive, but there's still work to be done. And
(05:19):
I think that would be his primary.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Message, Doctor Bryce, with a few minutes we have left,
when we look at the inauguration today, do you think
we'll see a stark difference of the overall message from
President Elect Trump today than what we saw in his
first inauguration.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I don't know if we're going to see a huge difference.
We certainly got a peek at it yesterday at one
of his rallies. You know, in terms of that inauguration address,
you know, we're going to see some of the major
issues that he's going to try to put in place
or policy is going to put in place immediately through
executive orders, and those in the top of the lists
are things like immigration and raids. So I think in
(05:56):
terms of the messaging, certainly there will be some mention
and a unity of us. But for the most part,
my senses that we'll see something very similar to that
first inauguration dress and many of the stump speeches and
yesterday's speech leading up to today's events.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Final question from us, and this has to do talked
about the racial component. Are we in a better spot?
And you said yes. Are we more politically divided than say,
we were forty fifty sixty years ago?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, you know, in the political divides are wide in
both periods. I have to remember in the nineteen sixties
we also had violence out of nineteen sixty eight Democratic
National Convention and riots in the streets throughout that period.
That said, you know, we certainly are revisiting a highly
polarized political context, and you know, one of the difficulties
(06:46):
that we as society need to deal with is how
we get over this US versus them mentality in terms
of our politics and find ways to move forward and
understand that consensus is really you know what politics is
all out.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Chair of the Political Science Department at MSU Denver, it's
doctor Robert Proyce. Thank you so much for your insight
on this this morning.
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