Martin Luther King III
Encyclopedia
Martin Luther King III 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.
and Coretta Scott King
. His mother had reservations about naming him after his famous father, "realizing the burdens it can create for the child," 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
. King lived with his mother in his childhood home until his adulthood. As an adult, King was a shy man who rarely socialized, and friends have claimed he tends to overwork, in part due to the pressure to live up to his father's name; one friend, Rev. E. Randel T. Osburn, said of King, "Watching him is like watching somebody trying to outrun themselves. It’s like there’s a ghost in front of him and he’s always trying to catch it." 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.
King served as an elected county commission
member in Fulton County
, Georgia, the county encompassing most of Atlanta, from 1987 to 1993. He was defeated for re-election after revealing that he owed the federal government more than $200,000 in back taxes and fines. Also in 1993, King helped found the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., the company that manages the license of Martin Luther King Jr.'s image and intellectual property. King remains a commissioner
in the company as of 2008.
(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. 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
.
Within only a few months of taking the position, however, King was criticized by the SCLC board for alleged inactivity. He was accused of failing to answer correspondence from the board and take up issues important to the organization. The board also felt he failed to demonstrate against national issues the SCLC previously would have protested, like the disenfranchisement of black voters in the Florida election recount
or time limits on welfare recipients implemented by then-President
Bill Clinton
. King was further criticized for failing to join the battle against AIDS
, allegedly because he feels uncomfortable talking about condom
s. He also hired Lamell J. McMorris, an executive director who, according to The New York Times
, "rubbed board members the wrong way."
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference suspended King from the presidency in June 2001, concerned that he was letting the organization drift into inaction. The group's national chairman at the time, Claud Young, sent a June 25 letter to King which read, "You have consistently been insubordinate and displayed inappropriate, obstinate behavior in the (negligent) carrying out of your duties as president of SCLC." King was reinstated only one week later after promising to take a more active role. Young said of the suspension, "I felt we had to use a two-by-four
to get his attention. Well, it got his attention all right." After he was reinstated, King prepared a four-year plan outlining a stronger direction for the organization, agreeing to dismiss McMorris and announcing plans to present a strong challenge to the Bush administration in an August convention in Montgomery
, Alabama. 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. King said he also planned to concentrate on racial profiling, prisoners' rights and closing the digital divide between whites and blacks. However, 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."
with his brother, Dexter Scott King
serving as chairman. Scholars like Taylor Branch
have criticized the King siblings for neglecting a large cache of historical documents at the Center. In 2005 and 2006, Martin, Dexter and their sister, Bernice Albertine King, became involved in a highly-publicized battle over whether or not to sell the poorly maintained institution to the National Park Service
, but ultimately opted against the sale. In 2006, King and his siblings sought to auction
some of King's documents at Sotheby's
for as much as $30 million, but a group of philanthropists and business leaders bought the documents for an undisclosed sum just prior to the auction; the buyers promised to keep the collection intact at Morehouse College
, Martin Luther King Jr.'s alma mater
in Atlanta
, Georgia.
In 2006, King founded an organization called Realizing the Dream
, which has been absorbed into The King Center under King as President and CEO Dexter King had accused Martin of establishing the foundation to make money off their parents' legacy which should go to the King Center. 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
. 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." 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.”
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.
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."
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. 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."
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.
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."
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."
, which once worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in guiding the Montgomery bus boycott
, asked the Los Angeles Times
of King III, "What's he really done in life?" Friends of King said he has always been expected to live up to the high standards set by his father; Rev. E. Randel T. Osburn said, "Every day people come up to him and say, ‘Oh, your father was this, and, oh, your father was that.’ If you’re around Martin much, you can tell he never gets used to it." African-American columnist Larry Elder
has defended King, commending him for resisting the styles of more extreme civil leaders like Al Sharpton
, Louis Farrakhan
and Jesse Jackson
.
King, and other members of his family, have also been criticized by scholars and historians for limiting access to Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers and commercializing his legacy, including an instance in which the family accepted a payment to allow a digital image of King's I Have a Dream speech to appear in television and print advertisements for electronics company Alcatel Americas, including a commercial with the Muppet, Kermit the Frog
. King and his siblings have also been criticized for suing news outlets for using his father's I Have a Dream speech without permission, such as their suit
against CBS
in 1999. In 2003, Atlanta columnist Cynthia Tucker
wrote that the King family, "converted King's legacy into a profit center -- I Have a Dream Inc." Martin Luther King Jr. himself took legal action to protect his copyright of the speech.
King has publicly stated his belief that James Earl Ray
, the man who killed his father, did not act alone, but as part of a conspiracy
involving the United States government
. On the 40th anniversary of the assassination, King told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, "I think James Earl Ray was a total patsy. He was hired to move around the country to give the perception that he was following my dad. There was an elaborate plan with some levels of the government involved.... It's far bigger than what we've been told." King and his family have been criticized for these positions. However, Emily Yellin reported in The New York Times on December 9, 1999, "A jury in a civil suit brought by the family of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decided today that a retired Memphis cafe owner was part of a conspiracy in the 1968 killing of Dr. King...The jury's decision means it did not believe that James Earl Ray, who was convicted of the crime, fired the shot that killed Dr. King...After four weeks of testimony and one hour of deliberation, the jury in the wrongful-death case found that Loyd Jowers as well as others, including governmental agencies had been part of a conspiracy. The jury awarded the King family the damages they had sought: $100, which the family donated to charity."
against Dexter King, accusing him of improperly taking money from the estate of their late mother and transferring it to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., where Dexter King serves as president. According to the suit, Dexter failed to keep Martin and Bernice informed about the company's financial affairs. It alleged the company's assets were being "misapplied or wasted," and demanded that Dexter produce documents pertaining to the 2006 sale of some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s documents. In response, Dexter King accused his siblings of continuously using their parents' legacy for their own benefit and "to further their own personal and religious agendas." Although critics said the lawsuit was at odds with their father's message and legacy, King III maintained it was in keeping with his history of negotiation and nonviolent direct action, claiming, "My father also used the court system."
Dexter filed a similar counter-suit against Martin and Bernice on August 18, 2008, claiming they breached their duties to the King Center and their father's estate, misused assets belonging to the center and kept money that should have gone back to the center and estate. Among the claims in the suit were that Martin improperly kept a $55,000 Lincoln Navigator SUV
donated to the King Center for his own personal use, and that he "commandeered a reception" being held at the King Center and "turned it into his own wedding reception." Dexter claimed he made numerous attempts to get his siblings to stop such misuses of power but was unsuccessful. King III's lawyer, Jock Smith, denied the allegations as petty and misguided, and said the suit demonstrates Dexter King's misuse of power and his history of making poor decisions involving the Center without seeking proper input from his siblings.
In October 2008 Martin Luther King III had not seen his brother since June, and Dexter had yet to meet his niece, Yolanda. Martin, Bernice and Dexter have each expressed love for each other and hope that they will reconcile once their legal matters have been resolved. In October 2009 Martin and his siblings settled the lawsuit out of court.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
. His siblings are Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King is the second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Martin Luther King III, the Reverend Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King....
, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King. King attended The Galloway School
The Galloway School
Founded by Elliott Galloway in 1969, The Galloway School is a private, co-educational day school dedicated to offering a well rounded academic program for children ages 3 through grade 12.-History:...
and went on to Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, 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.
Early life and career
Martin Luther King III was born on October 23, 1957 to human rights advocate Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
. His mother had reservations about naming him after his famous father, "realizing the burdens it can create for the child," but King, Jr. always wanted to name his son Martin Luther III. He was raised in Vine City
Vine City (Atlanta)
Vine City is a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It is bounded:* on the north by Joseph E. Boone Blvd. and the English Avenue neighborhood* on the south by Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and the Atlanta University Center...
, an urban neighborhood in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and was ten years old when his father was assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination
Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent American leader of the African-American civil rights movement and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39...
. King lived with his mother in his childhood home until his adulthood. As an adult, King was a shy man who rarely socialized, and friends have claimed he tends to overwork, in part due to the pressure to live up to his father's name; one friend, Rev. E. Randel T. Osburn, said of King, "Watching him is like watching somebody trying to outrun themselves. It’s like there’s a ghost in front of him and he’s always trying to catch it." 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.
King served as an elected county commission
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
member in Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, Georgia, the county encompassing most of Atlanta, from 1987 to 1993. He was defeated for re-election after revealing that he owed the federal government more than $200,000 in back taxes and fines. Also in 1993, King helped found the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., the company that manages the license of Martin Luther King Jr.'s image and intellectual property. King remains a commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
in the company as of 2008.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
In 1997, King was unanimously elected to head the Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceSouthern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC), a civil rights organization founded by his father. King was the fourth president of the group, which sought to fight police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
and start new local chapters during the first years of his tenure. Under King's leadership, the SCLC held hearings on police brutality, organized a rally for the 37th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
" speech and launched a successful campaign to change the Georgia state flag, which previously featured a large Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
cross
Flags of the Confederate States of America
There were only three flag designs adopted, with later, minor variants made to those designs, that served as the official national flags of the Confederate States of America and used during its existence from 1861 to 1865...
.
Within only a few months of taking the position, however, King was criticized by the SCLC board for alleged inactivity. He was accused of failing to answer correspondence from the board and take up issues important to the organization. The board also felt he failed to demonstrate against national issues the SCLC previously would have protested, like the disenfranchisement of black voters in the Florida election recount
Florida election recount
The Florida election recount of 2000 was a period of vote re-counting that occurred following the unclear results of the 2000 United States presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, specifically the Florida results. The election was ultimately settled in favor of George W. Bush when...
or time limits on welfare recipients implemented by then-President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. King was further criticized for failing to join the battle against AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, allegedly because he feels uncomfortable talking about condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s. He also hired Lamell J. McMorris, an executive director who, according to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "rubbed board members the wrong way."
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference suspended King from the presidency in June 2001, concerned that he was letting the organization drift into inaction. The group's national chairman at the time, Claud Young, sent a June 25 letter to King which read, "You have consistently been insubordinate and displayed inappropriate, obstinate behavior in the (negligent) carrying out of your duties as president of SCLC." King was reinstated only one week later after promising to take a more active role. Young said of the suspension, "I felt we had to use a two-by-four
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
to get his attention. Well, it got his attention all right." After he was reinstated, King prepared a four-year plan outlining a stronger direction for the organization, agreeing to dismiss McMorris and announcing plans to present a strong challenge to the Bush administration in an August convention in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Alabama. 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. King said he also planned to concentrate on racial profiling, prisoners' rights and closing the digital divide between whites and blacks. However, 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
King left the SCLC in January, 2004 to serve as president and chief executive officer of the King Center for Nonviolent Social ChangeKing Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1969 by Coretta Scott King...
with his brother, Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King is the second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Martin Luther King III, the Reverend Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King....
serving as chairman. Scholars like Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch
Taylor Branch is an American author and historian best known for his award-winning trilogy of books chronicling the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of the history of the American civil rights movement...
have criticized the King siblings for neglecting a large cache of historical documents at the Center. In 2005 and 2006, Martin, Dexter and their sister, Bernice Albertine King, became involved in a highly-publicized battle over whether or not to sell the poorly maintained institution to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, but ultimately opted against the sale. In 2006, King and his siblings sought to auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
some of King's documents at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
for as much as $30 million, but a group of philanthropists and business leaders bought the documents for an undisclosed sum just prior to the auction; the buyers promised to keep the collection intact at Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, Martin Luther King Jr.'s alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia.
In 2006, King founded an organization called Realizing the Dream
Realizing the Dream
Realizing the Dream, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Martin Luther King III to carry on the legacy of his parents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization carries out initiatives on both the domestic and...
, which has been absorbed into The King Center under King as President and CEO Dexter King had accused Martin of establishing the foundation to make money off their parents' legacy which should go to the King Center. 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
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, at the Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
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
Major party
A major party is a political party that holds substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party. It should not be confused with majority party.According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:...
. 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." 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.”
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.
Martin Luther King III gave a tribute at Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's memorial service on July 7, 2009. Additionally, he spoke at Michael Jackson's Funeral at Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
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."
Along with Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
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.
Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.)
Dunbar High School is a public secondary school located in Washington, D.C., United States. The school is located in the Truxton Circle neighborhood of Northwest Washington, two blocks from the intersection of New Jersey and New York Avenues...
followed by a reassemblage at the site of the future Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., southwest of the National Mall . The memorial is America's 395th national park...
location in the center of the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
. The event coincided with Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally
Restoring Honor rally
The Restoring Honor rally was held on August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and was organized by Glenn Beck to "restore honor in America" and to raise funds for the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Billed as a "celebration of America's heroes and heritage,"...
planned for the same day on the eastern part of the Mall. 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."
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.
In January, 2011 it was reported that King will attempt to become a "strategic partner" in the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
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."
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."
Criticism
Tommie Miller, president of the Montgomery Improvement AssociationMontgomery Improvement Association
The Montgomery Improvement Association was formed on December 5, 1955 by black ministers and community leaders in Montgomery, Alabama. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr...
, which once worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in guiding the Montgomery bus boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
, asked the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
of King III, "What's he really done in life?" Friends of King said he has always been expected to live up to the high standards set by his father; Rev. E. Randel T. Osburn said, "Every day people come up to him and say, ‘Oh, your father was this, and, oh, your father was that.’ If you’re around Martin much, you can tell he never gets used to it." African-American columnist Larry Elder
Larry Elder
Laurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an American radio and television personality. His radio program The Larry Elder Show airs weekdays 9 AM to noon on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California...
has defended King, commending him for resisting the styles of more extreme civil leaders like Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
, Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
and Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
.
King, and other members of his family, have also been criticized by scholars and historians for limiting access to Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers and commercializing his legacy, including an instance in which the family accepted a payment to allow a digital image of King's I Have a Dream speech to appear in television and print advertisements for electronics company Alcatel Americas, including a commercial with the Muppet, Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
. King and his siblings have also been criticized for suing news outlets for using his father's I Have a Dream speech without permission, such as their suit
Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. v. CBS, Inc.
Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. v. CBS, Inc. is a United States court case that involved a longstanding dispute about the public domain copyright status of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech, known by the key phrase I have a dream, originally delivered on the steps at the Lincoln...
against CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1999. In 2003, Atlanta columnist Cynthia Tucker
Cynthia Tucker
Cynthia Tucker is an American columnist and blogger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate. She received a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2007 "for her courageous, clear-headed columns that evince a strong sense of morality and persuasive knowledge of the...
wrote that the King family, "converted King's legacy into a profit center -- I Have a Dream Inc." Martin Luther King Jr. himself took legal action to protect his copyright of the speech.
King has publicly stated his belief that James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
, the man who killed his father, did not act alone, but as part of a conspiracy
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
involving the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. On the 40th anniversary of the assassination, King told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, "I think James Earl Ray was a total patsy. He was hired to move around the country to give the perception that he was following my dad. There was an elaborate plan with some levels of the government involved.... It's far bigger than what we've been told." King and his family have been criticized for these positions. However, Emily Yellin reported in The New York Times on December 9, 1999, "A jury in a civil suit brought by the family of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. decided today that a retired Memphis cafe owner was part of a conspiracy in the 1968 killing of Dr. King...The jury's decision means it did not believe that James Earl Ray, who was convicted of the crime, fired the shot that killed Dr. King...After four weeks of testimony and one hour of deliberation, the jury in the wrongful-death case found that Loyd Jowers as well as others, including governmental agencies had been part of a conspiracy. The jury awarded the King family the damages they had sought: $100, which the family donated to charity."
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" and asked the audience to pray for them. In May 2006, Martin Luther King III married longtime girlfriend Arndrea Waters. 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.Lawsuits involving Dexter King
In July 2008, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King filed a lawsuitLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Dexter King, accusing him of improperly taking money from the estate of their late mother and transferring it to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., where Dexter King serves as president. According to the suit, Dexter failed to keep Martin and Bernice informed about the company's financial affairs. It alleged the company's assets were being "misapplied or wasted," and demanded that Dexter produce documents pertaining to the 2006 sale of some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s documents. In response, Dexter King accused his siblings of continuously using their parents' legacy for their own benefit and "to further their own personal and religious agendas." Although critics said the lawsuit was at odds with their father's message and legacy, King III maintained it was in keeping with his history of negotiation and nonviolent direct action, claiming, "My father also used the court system."
Dexter filed a similar counter-suit against Martin and Bernice on August 18, 2008, claiming they breached their duties to the King Center and their father's estate, misused assets belonging to the center and kept money that should have gone back to the center and estate. Among the claims in the suit were that Martin improperly kept a $55,000 Lincoln Navigator SUV
Lincoln Navigator
The Lincoln Navigator is a full-size luxury SUV built by the Ford Motor Company for its luxury division, Lincoln. Introduced as a 1998 model, production began May 14, 1997 with sales beginning in August. The Navigator was Lincoln's first SUV as well as its first four-wheel drive capable vehicle...
donated to the King Center for his own personal use, and that he "commandeered a reception" being held at the King Center and "turned it into his own wedding reception." Dexter claimed he made numerous attempts to get his siblings to stop such misuses of power but was unsuccessful. King III's lawyer, Jock Smith, denied the allegations as petty and misguided, and said the suit demonstrates Dexter King's misuse of power and his history of making poor decisions involving the Center without seeking proper input from his siblings.
In October 2008 Martin Luther King III had not seen his brother since June, and Dexter had yet to meet his niece, Yolanda. Martin, Bernice and Dexter have each expressed love for each other and hope that they will reconcile once their legal matters have been resolved. In October 2009 Martin and his siblings settled the lawsuit out of court.
See also
- Martin Luther King, Sr.Martin Luther King, Sr.Martin Luther King, Sr., born Michael King was a Baptist missionary, an advocate for equal justice and an early civil rights leader. He was also the father of Martin Luther King, Jr.King, Sr...
, King III's grandfather who was an early civil rights leader and an advocate for social justice. - Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, King III's father who was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and civil rights leader.