Trump nominates Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece to federal planning commission

President Trump on Wednesday named Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., to the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission.

The appointment of King was made in a White House press release Wednesday. She, along with two others, was appointed to the commission planning events honoring orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass on the 200th anniversary of his birth.

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“The following individual to be a Member of the of the Frederick Douglas Bicentennial Commission: Alveda King of Georgia, Eric Madison Lowery of Maryland, Naomi C. Earp of Maryland,” the White House press release reads, incorrectly spelling Douglass’s last name.

The commission was established by bipartisan legislation signed into law by Trump in November that was sponsored by several Maryland and D.C. lawmakers. Douglass, who was born in Maryland around February 1818, was a national leader of the abolitionist movement after escaping slavery and fleeing to the North.

King did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her appointment to the commission.

“As we approach the bicentennial of Frederick Douglass’ birth, it is critical that Douglass’ contributions to our nation are recognized and celebrated. Frederick Douglass was the father of the abolitionist movement and left a lasting imprint on American culture,” one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), said in November.

“I commend my colleagues in Congress for their bipartisan and bicameral efforts to pass this legislation, and I am grateful to President Trump for his attention to this important matter,” he added.

Trump has been the subject of controversy regarding racial issues, and in December civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) refused to attend to opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum due to Trump’s attendance.

“President Trump’s attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum,” Lewis said in a joint statement with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) in December.