Lauren Boebert’s MLK Posts Spark Backlash

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert’s comments as the nation celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday have sparked a backlash on social media.

The holiday has been observed federally on the third Monday of January every year since 1986; this year, it happened to fall on the slain civil-rights leader’s 95th birthday. In posts marking the holiday, Boebert said King had fought for equality, not equity, and called for an end to the “woke movement” in his honor. Newsweek contacted Boebert’s office for comment on Tuesday via email.

Her comments come as Republicans have been targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace and in higher education.

“This Martin Luther King Jr. Day we celebrate the life of a man who led a movement for freedom and prosperity for all,” the Republican congresswoman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The fight was for equality, not equity. His dream is the American Dream,” Boebert added.

In a post on her campaign account, she wrote that King “had a dream that we would all be equal in America.” She added: “Equity had no part of that dream. It was about equality. Let’s end the woke movement in America in honor of MLK Jr.”

Boebert’s comments prompted many people to call her out on the platform, with some saying that King was the epitome of “woke.”

“Hey @laurenboebert,” one person wrote on X. “Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.”

Another added: “Imagine quoting #MLK to try to fit your agenda when if he was alive today, would be against your agenda & you’d be against him. Maybe try learning about what MLK stood for @laurenboebert first.”

A third person posted that King was “synonymous with everything woke is about.”

Another comment read that “when uneducated, unqualified & inexperienced candidates are elected, all Americans lose & our country suffers. MLK Jr.’s work was about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion! Boebert continues to proudly validate her ignorance, hatred & racism.”

One person called Boebert “a literal fool,” adding that “you can’t pick and choose the parts of MLK you want to agree with. He demanded equality as well as equity.”

King’s son Martin Luther King III paid tribute to his late father in a post on X on Monday, which honored his “unwavering dedicate to peace, justice & equity.”

“Dad, I will always remember the joy you brought to our home and community,” he wrote.

“I remember your unwavering dedication to peace, justice & equity. I know that we will one day realize your dream because the arc of the moral universe is long but bends toward justice. Happy birthday, Dad.”