Dr. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has said that Pastor Lorenzo Sewell distorted the message of her father’s “most well-known speech” when Sewell quoted it while praying at the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday, Jan. 20. That day was also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“I don’t deny the power of my father’s most well-known speech, ‘I Have a Dream,’” said Bernice King, who is a minister, thought leader, and CEO of the King Center, on X Wednesday, Jan. 22. “However, its power and popularity (with focus on its conclusion) have been misused to weaken its clear messaging about ending racism, stopping police brutality, ensuring voting rights, and eradicating economic injustice.”
I don’t deny the power of my father’s most well-known speech, ‘I Have a Dream.’
However, its power and popularity (with focus on its conclusion) have been misused to weaken its clear messaging about ending racism, stopping police brutality, ensuring voting rights, and… pic.twitter.com/aULHDGYJYX
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 22, 2025
Lorenzo Sewell Prays ‘Americans Would Begin To Dream Again’
Lorenzo Sewell is the senior pastor of 180 Church in Detroit. He campaigned for Trump in 2024, appearing at the Republican National Convention and hosting Trump at his church. The pastor came under criticism for asking social media users later in the day Monday to purchase his cryptocurrency.
He also joined a chorus of church leaders criticizing Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde for taking the final minutes of her message Tuesday, Jan. 21, to ask Trump to have “mercy upon the people in our country,” specifically immigrants and “gay, lesbian, and transgender children.”
RELATED: Trump Tells Bishop Budde She Owes the Public an ‘Apology’ After Prayer Service Plea To Show Mercy
“We are grateful that you are the one that have [sic] called [Trump] for such a time as this, that Americans would begin to dream again,” Lorenzo prayed during Trump’s inauguration, after giving God thanks for Trump’s “millimeter miracle.”
“We pray that we would fulfill the true meaning of our creed, that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” the pastor continued, quoting the Declaration of Independence. “We pray that you use our president, that we will live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.”
Sewell’s prayer Monday went on to directly quote and/or paraphrase a large section of the end of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, beginning with King’s quote of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”: “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. / Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, / From every mountainside, let freedom ring!”
“Because America is called to be a great nation, we believe that you will make this come true,” said Sewell, rephrasing King’s words, which were, “And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.”