On Monday (Jan. 20), Rev. Al Sharpton held a D.C. rally in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event, which was also in protest of Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony, took place at the Metropolitan AME Church, a location that previously hosted homegoing services for Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks. The collision of these two federal holidays have only happened twice before — when former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama took the oath for their second terms in 1997 and 2013, respectively.

During his sermon, Sharpton announced a boycott targeting companies that are abandoning their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. “Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion,” he stated to the packed audience. “DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practiced in academia and in these corporations. Now, if you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we’re gonna do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you. ... You must have [forgotten] who we are. We are the ones that took everything you got, and we’re still here.”

Sharpton’s organization, the National Action Network, plans to conduct a 90-day review to identify entities that have abandoned DEI commitments and examine their profit margins. The noted community leader also gave props to businesses like Costco for reinforcing their dedication to diversity.

As expected, Sharpton turned his ire toward Trump. In addition to his pledge to end DEI practices across the board, the newly appointed president previously stated his intention to pardon some individuals involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. “How are you, Mr. Trump, on Martin Luther King Day, going to pardon folks that beat up police officers?” Sharpton asked. “How are you, Mr. Trump, on the birthday, on a federal holiday of a prince of peace and nonviolence, going to excuse those that caused death of Capitol police in the nation’s capital? How dare you, Mr. Trump?”