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In 1997, King was unanimously elected to head the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC), a civil rights organization founded by his father. King was the fourth president of the group, which sought to fight [[police brutality]] and start new local chapters during the first years of his tenure.<ref name="NYT0726" /> Under King's leadership, the SCLC held hearings on police brutality, organized a rally for the 37th anniversary of the "[[I Have a Dream]]" speech and launched a successful campaign to change the Georgia [[Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)|state flag]], which previously featured a large [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|cross]].<ref name="LAT0804" /> |
In 1997, King was unanimously elected to head the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC), a civil rights organization founded by his father. King was the fourth president of the group, which sought to fight [[police brutality]] and start new local chapters during the first years of his tenure.<ref name="NYT0726" /> Under King's leadership, the SCLC held hearings on police brutality, organized a rally for the 37th anniversary of the "[[I Have a Dream]]" speech and launched a successful campaign to change the Georgia [[Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)|state flag]], which previously featured a large [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|cross]].<ref name="LAT0804" /> |
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June 2001, King prepared a four-year plan outlining a stronger direction for the organization, and announcing plans to present a strong challenge to the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] in an August convention in [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], Alabama.<ref name="NYT0726" /> In a rally on August 5, 2001, in Montgomery, SCLC leaders, including Rev. Joseph Lowery, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and Rev. Jesse Jackson all pledged their support for King. "I sit beside my successor, to assure him of my love and support," said Rev. Lowery.<ref>Suggs, Ernie (August 6, 2001). "Many in SCLC Rally Behind King". [[The Atlanta Constitution]].</ref> King said he also planned to concentrate on racial profiling, prisoners' rights and closing the digital divide between whites and blacks.<ref name="LAT0804" /> King also suggested the group needed a new approach, stating, "We must not allow our lust for 'temporal gratification' to blind us from making difficult decisions to effect future generations." |
June 2001, King prepared a four-year plan outlining a stronger direction for the organization, and announcing plans to present a strong challenge to the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]] in an August convention in [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], Alabama.<ref name="NYT0726" /> In a rally on August 5, 2001, in Montgomery, SCLC leaders, including Rev. Joseph Lowery, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and Rev. Jesse Jackson all pledged their support for King. "I sit beside my successor, to assure him of my love and support," said Rev. Lowery.<ref>Suggs, Ernie (August 6, 2001). "Many in SCLC Rally Behind King". [[The Atlanta Constitution]].</ref> King said he also planned to concentrate on racial profiling, prisoners' rights and closing the digital divide between whites and blacks.<ref name="LAT0804" /> King also suggested the group needed a new approach, stating, "We must not allow our lust for 'temporal gratification' to blind us from making difficult decisions to effect future generations." |
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===Later career=== |
===Later career=== |
Revision as of 15:33, 13 January 2012
Martin Luther King III | |
---|---|
Born | Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. | October 23, 1957
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Human rights advocate Community activist |
Known for | Son of Martin Luther King, Jr. Former Head of SCLC |
Parent(s) | Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King |
Martin Luther King III (born October 23, 1957) is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King. King attended The Galloway School and went on to Morehouse College, which was the same school his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather attended. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse in 1979.[1]
Life
Early life and career
Martin Luther King III was born on October 23, 1957 to human rights advocate Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His mother had reservations about naming him after his famous father, "realizing the burdens it can create for the child,"[2] but King, Jr. always wanted to name his son Martin Luther III. He was raised in Vine City, an urban neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, and was ten years old when his father was assassinated. Martin Luther King III is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity as was his father.
On June 26, 1985 Martin Luther King III was arrested, along with his mother and sister, Bernice A. King, while taking part in an anti-apartheid protest at the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, D.C.[3]
King served as an elected county commission member in Fulton County, Georgia, the county encompassing most of Atlanta, from 1987 to 1993. King remained a commissioner in the company until 2008.[4]
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
In 1997, King was unanimously elected to head the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization founded by his father. King was the fourth president of the group, which sought to fight police brutality and start new local chapters during the first years of his tenure.[5] Under King's leadership, the SCLC held hearings on police brutality, organized a rally for the 37th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech and launched a successful campaign to change the Georgia state flag, which previously featured a large Confederate cross.[2]
June 2001, King prepared a four-year plan outlining a stronger direction for the organization, and announcing plans to present a strong challenge to the Bush administration in an August convention in Montgomery, Alabama.[5] In a rally on August 5, 2001, in Montgomery, SCLC leaders, including Rev. Joseph Lowery, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and Rev. Jesse Jackson all pledged their support for King. "I sit beside my successor, to assure him of my love and support," said Rev. Lowery.[6] King said he also planned to concentrate on racial profiling, prisoners' rights and closing the digital divide between whites and blacks.[2] King also suggested the group needed a new approach, stating, "We must not allow our lust for 'temporal gratification' to blind us from making difficult decisions to effect future generations."
Later career
On March 29, 2008, King threw out the first pitch at the MLB Civil Rights Game.
Martin Luther King III spoke on behalf of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, at the Democratic National Convention on August 28, 2008. The event marked the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech and the first time an African American accepted the presidential nomination of a major party.[7] King said his father would be "proud of Barack Obama, proud of the party that nominated him, and proud of the America that will elect him."[8] But he also warned that his father's dream would not be completely fulfilled even if Obama wins the presidency. King said the country was suffering from a poor health care system, education system, housing market and justice system and that "we all have to roll up our sleeves and do work to ensure that the dream that he shared can be fulfilled.”[7]
On January 19, 2009, the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday, King joined with President Obama in painting and refurbishing the Sasha Bruce Youthwork shelter for homeless teens in Northeast Washington to help encourage the nation-wide day of community service on the King holiday.[9]
Martin Luther King III gave a tribute at Michael Jackson's memorial service on July 7, 2009. Additionally, he spoke at Michael Jackson's Funeral at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, alongside his sister, Bernice King. He also spoke as a campus guest speaker at SUNY Canton on February 23, 2010, invited by the College Union Board.
On April 6, 2010, Martin Luther King III, along with his brother Dexter King and sister, Rev. Bernice King issued a joint statement announcing the re-election of Martin Luther King III as president and chief executive officer of The King Center. "It's the right time, and Martin is in the right place to take this great organization forward," Dexter King said in a statement. Bernice King said she is, "proud that my brothers and I are speaking with one voice to communicate our parents' legacy to the world." Martin King added, "We are definitely working together. My brother and sister and I are constantly in communication...It's a great time for us."[10]
Along with Al Sharpton and a number of other civil-rights leaders, on August 28, 2010, King took part in the 'Reclaim the Dream' commemorative march, marking the forty-seventh anniversary of the historic Great March on Washington. They spoke at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. followed by a reassemblage at the site of the future Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial location in the center of the National Mall. The event coincided with Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally planned for the same day on the eastern part of the Mall.[11] King wrote a Washington Post op-ed column offering measured criticism of Beck's event. "While it is commendable that [Glenn Beck's] rally will honor the brave men and women of our armed forces ... [its] organizers present this event as also honoring the ideals and contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. ... My father...would be the first to say that those participating in Beck's rally have the right to express their views. But his dream rejected hateful rhetoric and all forms of bigotry or discrimination, whether directed at race, faith, nationality, sexual orientation or political beliefs. ... Throughout his life he advocated compassion for the poor.... ...Profoundly religious..., my father did not claim to have an exclusionary "plan" that laid out God's word for only one group or ideology. ... I pray that all Americans will embrace the challenge of social justice and the unifying spirit that my father shared with his compatriots."[12]
On September 19, 2010 Mr. King received one of India's most prestigious honors, the Ramakrishna Bajaj Memorial Global Award for outstanding contributions to the promotion of human rights at the 26th Anniversary Global Awards of the Priyadarshni Academy in Mumbai, India.[13]
In January, 2011 it was reported that King will attempt to become a "strategic partner" in the New York Mets baseball team. "This was blown up way out of proportion,” King told the Associated Press. “While I’m not leading a group and I’m not having direct conversations...I think it is very important to promote diversity in ownership."[14]
On April 4, 2011, the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of his father, King helped to lead nation-wide demonstrations against initiatives to eliminate and undermine collective bargaining rights of public workers in Wisconsin and other states. King led a mass march in Atlanta and spoke to a crowd of supporters at the Georgia state capitol, urging them to "defend the collective bargaining rights of teachers, bus drivers, police, firefighters and other public service workers, who educate, protect and serve our children and families."
Family
Martin Luther King III's mother, Coretta Scott King died January 30, 2006. At her funeral on February 7, former President Bill Clinton described her children's responsibility to carry on their father's legacy as "a terrible burden"[4] and asked the audience to pray for them.[4] In May 2006, Martin Luther King III married longtime girlfriend Arndrea Waters.[15] On May 25, 2008 the couple had a daughter, Yolanda Renee King, the first grandchild of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. She was named after her aunt, the late Yolanda King, who had died of a heart attack at age 51 in Santa Monica, California the previous year.[15]
President & CEO, The King Center
As President & CEO of The King Center, Martin Luther King, III was able to accomplish the following:
1. Forged new and innovative partnerships with major partners like JP Morgan Chase Martin King’s vision centered on creating a sustainable King Center that required reengaging old partners and forging new collaborations to advance dynamic programming and institutional relevancy. Martin led efforts to reignite prior relationships with funders like Target as well as courting new partners like J.P. Morgan Chase and Hyundai. Additionally, his leadership included a strong public policy engagement in order to fight against the triple evils—racism, militarism, and poverty—in the political domain.
2. Led the digitization of the Center’s Civil Rights archives J.P. Morgan Chase, working through their Technology for Social Good program, invested millions of dollars to digitize the King Center’s MLK archives. The goal was to increase the availability of King Center archives to new generations in the digital age. Additionally, J.P. Morgan Chase funded the creation of a dynamic website that could handle the digital distribution of the archival distribution.
3. Re-engaged the business and political sectors of Atlanta The King Center is an important Atlanta institution that is a major tourist attraction with a million visitors per year. However, the King Center has not always actively assumed its roles in the Atlanta community. The King Center has become an active community citizen in the past 18 months, participating in forums like Central Atlanta Progress and the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
4. Restarted a robust public policy engagement that extends to the White House The leadership of the King Center engaged the top levels of the White House as part of an effort to place the fight against the triple evils at the top of the administration’s agenda.
5. Reinvigorated King Center programs and activities The King Center’s programming, prior to Martin’s return, were largely dormant. We started with small steps of adding new programming and public activities with partners like Center for Disease Control (CDC) and AFL-CIO. At the same time, the King Center was in a fundraising phase with major partners like Target to reintroduce a revised MLK curriculum.
6. Developed a plan for a redesigned and expanded King Center Martin assembled a team of architects and builders in addition to King Center staff to discuss renovating and expanding the physical campus of the King Center.
7. Implemented a capital campaign to support the campus redesign A plan for rolling out a capital campaign was also developed. The plan called for $85 million to redesign the campus and provide a facility endowment. A number of local and national foundations expressed interest in participating in various roles within the capital campaign including J. P. Morgan Chase.
JPMorgan Chase received, and positively responded to, the investment proposal by supporting the $10 million plus Digitization Project and the redesign of The King Center’s website. Under the leadership of Martin, The King Center built on its relationship with JPMorgan Chase to attract new partners.
Refining the Flagship Programs Innovative programming once expressed the uniqueness and leadership of The King Center. A series of programs based upon the philosophy and teachings of Dr. King engaged enthusiastic partners from corporations and academia. These programs have ceased to exist in recent years. To be successfully received by new generations, these programs will receive a “make over” to reveal their timelessness and relevance.
The King Center has rekindled its relationship with long-time friend and past employee, Dr. Liliane Kshensky Baxter, who worked closely with Mrs. King for years. Dr. Baxter has begun the process of working with The King Center staff and consultants towards the refinement and updating of a Spiral Curriculum as the vehicle for introducing the nonviolent teachings of Dr. King as early as pre-K through high school to namesake schools across the country. These interdisciplinary learning experiences will meet the national educational standards as they provide: o continuous learning that is age and cognitively appropriate as it is repeated grade after grade through the child’s learning experience; o life skills approaches to current day challenges such as bullying; and o experiential learning through social action activities that promote creative application of Kingian Principles in the community.
Plans are being developed to eventually roll out this program in upwards of 400 schools nationwide. The first phase of this program initiative will engage approximately 50 schools and a team of King Center-trained educators. Rebuilding Relationships with Strategic Allies
The King Center has historically partnered with allies deeply tied to the Civil Rights Movement: Organized Labor; Faith-Based Organizations; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s); and African American Fraternities and Sororities. As programs and initiatives diminished, so too did the intentional contact with these strategic allies. We are working hard to reestablish these relationships because they are critical to advancement of The King Center’s mission.
The King Center is especially proud of its rekindled relationship with organized labor. The Center recently co-sponsored with the AFL-CIO a major conference on jobs. The conference brought together leaders from organized labor and civil rights to focus the attention of national policymakers on the crisis status of the American economy and its workers. Martin King, III, one of the featured speakers, used the platform to re-establish the ties between labor and The King Center. A special collection of Dr. King’s quotations from speeches to trade unions, “What Martin Luther King Said About Unions, Unemployment and Economic Justice” was distributed to all conference participants. Organized Labor leaders have expressed a strong interest in deepening the relationship with The King Center around the mutual commitment to justice and equality for the nation’s employed, unemployed and underemployed.
Restoration and Preservation of the Archives and Library The Digitization Project
The King Center’s archives and library have been in declining disrepair for many decades. Inadequate storage and preservation have resulted in the damage and potential loss of invaluable documents and artifacts of Dr. King, Mrs. King and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these one-of-a-kind treasures were on the verge of being lost forever. JPMorgan Chase is underwriting the digitization of archives and library of The King Center, in excess of $10 million. The project is one of the largest efforts of its kind with over a million documents of all kinds to register, file and maintain. The King Center staff has worked hand-in-hand with as many as 40 students from area colleges such as Morehouse and Spelman; and injured veterans to prepare and digitize the King Center archives. The students and veterans have assisted world-renowned technical experts, whose previous experience includes the Holocaust Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, in the digitization project.
Repairing the Physical Building to Ensure the Safety of Employees and Visitors Increased Physical Maintenance Oversight The buildings that comprise The King Center campus are in various stages of disrepair. There have been growing concerns that, without the required attention, the buildings could become unsafe for employees and visitors alike. Over time, without significant repair, restoration and ongoing maintenance, this important physical asset could be lost. Over the past several months, increased attention has been paid to making repairs promptly and increasing security. For example, the elevator is being renovated for the first time after more than 20 years of being in operation. New locking systems are scheduled to be installed that will provide enhanced safety and security. As resources allow, pre-emptive care of the facility will be the primary mandate.
Advancing Plans for Transforming The King Center into a World-Class Institution Revision of Initial Architectural Renderings of the Renovated Facility
The King Center consistently welcomes more than one (1) million visitors annually. Though it is considered by many visitors to be a sacred site, the deteriorating physical environment has disappointed many pilgrims’ expectations.
Ambitious and exciting plans have been developed to overhaul and transform the entire King Center campus. These ideas include strategies to increase the quality of the visitor experience from beginning to end, as well as, expanding opportunities to generate income from onsite sales and premium services. As resources are secured, renovations will continue. Developing a State-of-the-Art Internet Presence Capable of Providing an Exceptional Experience for Virtual Visitors to the King Website Redesign of The King Center Website The King Center’s website serves as its virtual, global front door and its real estate in cyberspace. The website has not consistently kept pace with the amazing and rapidly changing technology of our time. There has been very little use of social media digital tools, distance learning, or blog strategies – conduits for enhanced online communications. With support from JPMorgan Chase, the website is undergoing a major redesign that will result in a state-of-the-art, user-friendly experience that will likely welcome millions of users worldwide. Through intensive strategy sessions at The King Center, stakeholder interviews and guidance from Internet experts, the new website will go live by January 2012. Previews of various aspects of the site were made available in the fall of 2011.
New Senior Staff Management Positions and Consultants Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) The King Center is a multi-faceted, complex organization that requires full-time, day-to-day management. Relying upon volunteers has been helpful, but could not provide the consistency and sustainability required. Hiring a full-time interim COO with the requisite skills to focus on the operations of The King Center was a high priority cited in the plans. Dr. Robert L. Adams came on board in mid-July 2011 as an Executive Fellow for one year from the Fetzer Institute. Dr. Adams is a Kingian scholar and trained anthropologist with considerable international and domestic experience in the arena of non-violence, cross-cultural understanding and mediation. Dr. Adams brings organizational management expertise, fundraising acumen, leadership development skills, nonprofit and corporate connections, plus a keen sense of program development and public policy options.
Note and references
- ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/351/000122982/
- ^ a b c Gettleman, Jeffrey (August 5, 2001). "M.L. King III: Father's path hard to follow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
- ^ "Coretta King Arrested at Embassy". June 27, 1985.
- ^ a b c Fausset, Richard; Jarvie, Jenny (July 12, 2008). "Children of Martin Luther King Jr. embroiled in lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
NYT0726
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Suggs, Ernie (August 6, 2001). "Many in SCLC Rally Behind King". The Atlanta Constitution.
- ^ a b Rodgers, Jacob. "DNC: Martin Luther King III speaks on historic anniversary." Fort Collins Weekly, August 28, 2008. Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
- ^ "Tonight we witness what has become of his dream..." New England Cable News, August 28, 2008. Retrieved on August 28, 2008.
- ^ Branigin, William; Rucker, Philip (January 20, 2009). "Obama Commemorates MLK Day with Service". The Washington Post.
- ^ http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=142563
- ^ Keefe, Bob; Schneider, Craig (August 27, 2010). "Conservatively speaking, thousands will crowd the National Mall". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ King III, Martin Luther (August 25, 2010). "Still striving for Milk's dream in the 21st century". Washington Post.
- ^ http://www.priyadarshniacademy.com/26-ann-global-awards/26-ga-recipients.html#
- ^ Associated Press (January 31, 2011). "Report: King's son interested in buying into Mets". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Karl (May 26, 2008). "First MLK grandchild born". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
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See also
- Martin Luther King, Sr., King III's grandfather who was an early civil rights leader and an advocate for social justice.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., King III's father who was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights leader.
External links