
Keep going.
That’s what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us, and that’s exactly what we plan to do this January 20th, 2025 – a day when history folds in on itself in ways that demand our full attention. As Trump takes his second oath of office on the very same day we honor Dr. King’s legacy, we’re facing a moment that crystallizes everything our firm fights for.
At FUNKY BROWN CHICK, Inc., we transform data into action, turning digital strategies into real-world change. But sometimes the most powerful action is a pause – a deliberate step back to sharpen our focus on what matters. A step back to reflect on the progress that was led by those who came before us. It’s also a time to prepare for how we can move forward in the footsteps of those historic leaders like Dr. King.
That’s why our doors will be closed on January 20th, as civil rights and digital disinformation collide in ways Dr. King could never have imagined.
Just last month, we watched an AI-generated Dr. King “endorse” Trump, while his daughter Bernice fought to protect her father’s true legacy. The incident highlighted exactly why our work at the intersection of data, justice, and truth-telling has never been more vital.
Old Battles, New Battlegrounds
The battlegrounds have shifted since Dr. King’s time, but the core fights remain familiar. While Project 2025 threatens to slash early childhood education and gut environmental protections, we’re seeing the same plays that Dr. King faced – just a more modern version. Voter suppression is just in a more digital format: algorithmic bias, digital redlining, targeted disinformation campaigns. Healthcare inequities persist, with reproductive rights and gender-affirming care under simultaneous attack. Basic human rights are being challenged.
These struggles intertwine just as they did in Dr. King’s era. When reproductive healthcare facilities close, they close first in communities already fighting for clean air and water. When voting rights erode, they erode fastest in neighborhoods struggling for healthcare access. The same areas targeted by environmental racism face the heaviest digital surveillance and online manipulation.
Truth in the Age of AI
The recent AI deepfake of Dr. King is a warning shot across democracy’s bow. When they make a fake Dr. King “endorse” policies he died fighting against, they’re distorting the past. And they’re attempting to hijack the moral authority of the civil rights movement itself, weaponizing King’s own image against the very communities he gave his life defending.
But just as Dr. King’s generation used newspapers and television to expose fire hoses and police dogs in the Birmingham protests, today’s movements are turning digital tools toward transparency and truth. Technology can still serve liberation when used by the right hands. Hands like yours and ours!
And just like in Dr. King’s generation, our social justice initiatives are building networks of resistance that grow stronger under pressure.
The Power of Strategic Resistance
Dr. King never just marched. He moved with intention. He chose each moment, each action, each word to maximize impact. His nonviolent resistance wasn’t passive; it was strategic action. Today’s advocacy demands that same carefulness, that same intention. Every social media post, every dataset, every online campaign must serve a larger vision of justice.
Consider how Dr. King’s Birmingham campaign used media coverage to expose brutality. Today’s crusades for justice use data visualization to reveal systemic inequities. Digital strategy and effective narratives turn statistics into stories that move people to action. Our “Three Acts of Justice” report shows how this works: when reproductive rights were stripped away, digital organizing helped build new networks of care and resistance.
Reclaiming Our Stories
But data alone doesn’t drive change – stories do. Dr. King knew this. He painted pictures of dreams deferred and children denied their birthright of dignity. When he spoke of the “fierce urgency of now,” people felt that urgency in their bones.
That’s the kind of authentic storytelling we need in 2025. As deepfakes multiply and disinformation spreads, protecting truth becomes an act of resistance itself. The civil rights movement succeeded because it controlled its own narrative, refusing to let others define their struggle.
Now, as Trump retakes office and Project 2025 threatens to reshape the United States as we know it, we face a similar challenge: ensuring that those most impacted by injustice remain the authors of their own stories.
Every victory in our “Three Acts of Justice” report shares this common thread – communities finding ways to tell their truth, their way, no matter what forces aligned against them.
From Reflection to Action
So yes, our doors will be closed on January 20th. But as Trump takes his oath of office, we’re choosing to honor a different kind of oath – the one Dr. King made to justice, no matter the cost. The King Center’s 2025 theme, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365,” feels less like a slogan and more like a battle cry in these times.
While we step back from our desks, we invite you to step forward in ways that matter. Join the King Center’s virtual Beloved Community Summit, where global changemakers are reimagining nonviolent resistance for the digital age. Share verified information about voting rights and reproductive healthcare access. Counter disinformation by amplifying authentic voices from impacted communities. Because on this unprecedented day when America’s highest office and its moral conscience collide on the calendar, passive observation isn’t enough.
Your Voice Matters
The King Center welcomes all to join what they’re calling “this movement for a new future.” They’re hosting events from January 7th through January 20th, including their Beloved Community Global Summit. These gatherings help us remember and honor history while also writing its next chapter together, even as forces of regression take center stage in Washington DC.
When we return to our work, we’ll bring with us renewed clarity about why we fight. Because King showed us that change doesn’t just happen. It’s pushed forward by communities brave enough to demand better, supported by organizations committed enough to keep showing up, and protected by movements strong enough to weather any storm.
Drop us a line at smile@funkybrownchick.com or give us a call at +1 (202) 643-3492 during our closure or once we’re back on January 21st!