Rep. Lateefah Simon Says Only ‘Scholars’ Like Her Should Be Allowed To Quote MLK

Although the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life of activism to fostering an America where people aren’t judged on skin color, it seems that a lot of people who like to cite him these days are leftists who see everything in terms of race.

One example of a Democrat gatekeeping King’s message came during a House Oversight Committee hearing this week.

When Republican witnesses used the civil rights icon’s words to make a point, Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA) became incensed.

As the Daily Caller reported:

Simon told the witnesses to keep King’s name “out of their mouth[s]” during a hearing on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The witnesses she addressed were Dan Lennington of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Judge Glock of the Manhattan Institute and Erec Smith of the Cato Institute.

“There are so few folks who have actually studied and is clear on the theology of King. Very few of you have read and studied and have sat in Ebenezer Baptist Church so I would ask you, you keep Dr. King’s name out of your mouth!” Simon said. “If you, like me and the many scholars who will be watching, who have studied King, you know that he and the mothers and the fathers of the Civil Rights Movement and the movement for emancipation not only would be struck by the conversations in this room, but would be shattered by the consequences of lives, of hatred and abuse of this administration in the name of those who worked to make this country more free!”

Simon accused President Donald Trump’s administration “used Dr. King’s name” to argue in favor of pushing the U.S. back to a “segregated America” based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin and gender identity.

Simon received substantial social media backlash for her exclusionary outburst:

Hey @lateefahsimon
Here’s some MLK,Jr words for you to remember. pic.twitter.com/jWQ8het0cu

— Carl Gottlieb (@c_cgottlieb) June 25, 2025

We have another ghetto trash Democrat screaming during a Congressional Hearing.

Her name is Lateefah (of course) Simon.
pic.twitter.com/kXIyxlHLRI

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 25, 2025

Its always the racists who are screaming racism

— Patrick (@EelTap1) June 25, 2025

MSN also covered Simon’s anti-Trump administration tirade:

“They’re motivated by a fear of a multiracial and multicultural democracy. A fear that freedom of coequal citizens living as their authentic selves with pride. Out of fear, they have a fear of accountability,” Simon said. “We must name this conversation today for what it truly is. It is a bigotry, it is a hypocrisy. Republicans, like I’ve said before, will quote Dr. King all day, will bring forth Lincoln and talk about Frederick Douglass in the same breath that they are gutting civil rights offices in our governments.”

“In the same breath where they seek to ban AP African American Studies that tells the true story of this country! It ain’t just one story, it is the complete story,” Simon continued.

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Simon likely referred to the AP African American course that got rejected by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration in 2023. The course included material and units that focused on “black queer studies” and on certain material that pushed critical race theory (CRT).

Here’s a clip of a post-election cable news appearance by the first-term congresswoman:

NEW: Lateefah Simon is an incoming member of congress from California. She cites Kamala Harris as her "mentor."

Simon compares modern day America to the eras of Japanese-American internment and slavery.

“We know what is in front of us…to protect the rights of our folks by any… pic.twitter.com/yYgyYU7ODH

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) November 17, 2024