10 Times Bernice King Reminded Us to Put Some Respect on Her Father's Name
The youngest daughter of MLK adamantly opposes the misappropriation of her father.
I stayed up so late and with jet lag to write this article, but I think we all really need these reminders. Would you help me continue to produce more of this content by becoming a paid subscriber this MLK Day?
More than five decades after his assassination, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy has been co-opted by people who oppose the very principles that he lived by and got him killed.
Some have reduced MLK to a single line from his “I Have a Dream” speech about people not being judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.
But attempts to sanitize King’s words and activism are staunchly opposed by the allies of justice and none with more vigor than his youngest daughter, Rev. Dr. Bernice King.
Bernice King is the CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change in Atlanta, and an ardent defender and promoter of the truth about her both of her parents.
As the MLK national holiday approaches every year, Bernice King offers plain-spoken reminders to all of us to put some respect on her father’s name.
She pushes back against the misappropriation of her father’s life, and continues to promote the values for which he stood: nonviolence, peacemaking, social transformation, and the Beloved Community.
Here you’ll find 10 times (and a bonus) when Bernice King refocused our attention beyond the “quotable King” to the radical message and methods of her father, Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15, 2015
Nearly 10 years ago, Bernice King prayed that “the masses in our global community remember your prophetic voice and your heart for Christ and people; and in the midst of much violence and turmoil, embrace your nonviolent leadership philosophy and adopt Nonviolence 365 as a lifestyle.”
January 16, 2017
In the midst of the Donald Trump presidency and the racial tensions his rhetoric and actions stoked, Bernice King preached a message that the struggle against injustice was a perennial one, no matter who sat in the Oval Office.
January 15, 2018
Bernice King always reminds us that Coretta Scott King is a peace activist worthy of recognition in her own right. Indeed, we would not even be celebrating MLK Day as a federal holiday if not for her advocacy.
January 13, 2018
Bernice King posted the video below to demonstrate how her father forced the nation to look in a mirror and evaluate how it was living its stated ideals. Click to watch.
January 15, 2019
In this video, Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks in a forthright manner about how the Black plight in the United States differs from others. He uses a bluntness in his truth-telling that many shy away from when they quote him. Click to watch.
January 2019
In this post, Bernice King urges us to remember that before King was a civil rights leader, he was a young boy shaped by his community and by his faith in Jesus Christ.
January 2020
Bernice King told us that honoring King and MLK Day means more than quoting him, our support should show up in the policies we support and how we fight against unjust systems.
January 15, 2021
Here Bernice King spoke directly to “pastors & preachers” and told them to address the three evils: poverty, racism, militarism. The church must be central in promoting the values of the Beloved Community.
January 2022
It is not proper to say Martin Luther King, Jr. died. He was killed. Assassinated. His daughter has never forgotten the theft of her father’s life and neither should we.
January 15, 2023
In this interview, Bernice King said, “So many people can talk about my father but what I always say, but did you do it in the spirit of Dr. King? Because if it’s not done in the spirit of Dr. King, then you’re just spouting off words as far as I’m concerned.” Click to watch.
January 14, 2024
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this picture of a weary, exasperated looking MLK is the perfect clapback to anyone who looks with contempt on racial justice efforts today.
This message is right on time. As an AA female in the south attending a predominantly white congregation, it was very disheartening yesterday to hear our pastor praise Dr. King for less than a minute and then turn the service over to a young couple promoting a book. Our pastor says he promotes equality and social justice but it was a slap in the face to ignore the strides Dr. King took to promote justice. I’m in the process of “leaving loud” and finding a congregation where I am celebrated. I may send some points of your post to my pastor.
Thank you for this reminder of the full message of Dr King. Just today I read an opinion piece that what some are trying to do in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion is unconstitutional. The fight needs to go on.