Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s youngest daughter provides unique perspective on “The
Fierce Urgency of Now” at OCC’s 2024 MLK Convocation
The following is excerpted from OCC’s 2024 MLK Convocation held Jan. 8, 2024
OCC Moderators: Kristina Marshall, J.D., Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice and Andre’
Poplar, J.D., Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
and Justice.
Special Guest: Dr. Bernice A. King
Q: As the youngest child of Dr. King, you have a unique perspective on a crucial period
of American history. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964. What does this anniversary mean to you?
As I think about these anniversaries, I appreciate them because they keep before us
how far we've come, and the work that still needs to be done. But, at some point,
we have to ask those critical questions: What can we do, so that more things are embedded
in the DNA of who we are as citizens of these United States of America (so) that it's
not only in our documents, but it's also in our way of life?
Q: Your father often spoke about nonviolence. Today, we are in a nation of constant
turmoil. We have wars going on and senseless school shootings. Would you say that
a nonviolent approach still makes sense?
Certainly. There is nothing good that comes from violence. It's a descending spiral,
as my father said. Only love can drive out hate, and only light can drive out darkness.
My father saw every person on the face of this Earth as a part of his human family.
He understood that we are interconnected, that we are interrelated. I have to operate
in a manner that preserves, uplifts the dignity, worth and value of every human being,
even those who are my adversaries.
Q: Your father talked about confronting injustices while also reaching out to those
people who he disagreed with, or who disagreed with him, in his letter from the Birmingham
Jail. Do you believe this would still be his approach? And does that align with your
approach today?
The easy answer is yes and yes. He said himself, “I will continue to be devoted to nonviolence, even if I'm the lone person.” And he said that very resoundingly near the end of his life. My life aligns with
that. Through time and experience, I've come to understand the power of our interconnectedness
and the importance of having a concern for the betterment of all people, even those
that I may not agree with, those that may even have brought me harm.
Q: When we think about history in classes taught in our schools—and the more inclusive
they are and the more equitable they are — we know that that helps our students feel
seen, heard and even respected. How do we continue to move these efforts forward in
today's climate, especially as we look at all the anti-DEI legislation?
I don't think there's been enough energy, focus, attention, planning, organizing and
strategizing (on) how to combat these efforts taking place over the last three years
through state legislatures around this country. Sometimes it means we have to be willing
to make great sacrifices. Eventually, people are going to realize that the level of
sacrifice that my parents and maybe some members of this audience, your parents, made
in the '50s and '60s, to break through from de jure by law segregation and really
open up the mainstream of American society to all people ... They had to give up a
lot. They had to put a lot of stuff on the line. Their incomes—they had to put on the line. Their education—they had to put on the line. Sometimes they had to put friendships on the line, and
of course, their lives.
Q: Do you believe that we have the same or different challenges about social justice
today compared to those that your father and mother fought against?
I always tell people there are some things happening now that remind me of that time
period. And if we're not careful, we can get back to that time period. But I also
remind people back to what I said earlier. De jure segregation no longer exists. Segregation
by law is what they overcame ... I don't want us to forget these kinds of things because
you can get so frustrated and overwhelmed by what's happening, that you don't realize
the tools and the gifts that the past has given to us. That's why what my mother said
is so important: Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won.
You earn it and win it in every generation. We cannot let up. We have to be unrelenting.
We have to be vigilant with these issues that we're faced with, in fighting for freedom,
justice and true equality.
Q: We have made a lot of progress, but we still see a movement to limit discussions
of things like civil rights related issues and even ban or revise history. How do
we move past that, and how do we band together and form a collective group?
These kinds of challenges that we're faced with today are much more monumental than
my platform. We need a collective. And we need to use the collective strength. We
need to look at who has the greatest strengths in different areas .... I have been
agonizing over this, being the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., because one of
the things that God gifted him with was the ability to pull together a group of people
who are just regular human beings like him, with all ltheir different faults but also
(their) great strengths ... And he knew “who was who.” He knew who should be deployed
at this moment versus that moment, because they thought through these things. So there
has to be a core of people in our society (who) come together, who are kind of like
the thought leaders in this room.
Q: When we think about what your father did along with your mother, what would you
say you think would be most disappointing or upsetting to him today?
When he delivered his mountaintop speech, which happened to be his last one, he talked
about, “if something happens to me, don't stop here in Memphis.” I think my father knew that he was not just speaking to the audience he was sitting
and speaking in front of, but also anyone who would hear in future generations ...
And I think he would be disappointed that we have not had the kind of unification
around the movement towards “genuine equality” as he would call it—where there is equity and justice. As a result, he would be disappointed that when
you look at every arena of American life, whether you're talking about environmental
issues, health issues, criminal justice issues, education issues, banking and lending,
every area, Blacks are still left (behind). The racial disparities are great, and
we're sleeping on it. We're going to wake up one day and say, “oh, my God. What happened?”
Q: What does genuine equality mean to you?
It's that equity piece that he was speaking of. You've probably seen it online. They
have these stair steps that these people are standing on ... How do we address these
systemic issues that keep landing people in places where they're not treated fairly—that
they're not at a true level playing field? I think all people are equal. It doesn't
mean, if I have $5, you're going to have $5. It means that whatever I have, I'm going to have it with dignity.
Q: Besides you and your siblings and the work that you're doing, what do you think he would be most proud of today?
That we at The King Center now, have a way for people to—at a self-pace, at their own pace—study nonviolence through our online nonviolence experience. You can go to kingcenter.org for that and sign up for that; we even have a workplace edition. He would be proud of that because that's what he wanted to see happen in our world: he wanted us to become embracers of nonviolence as a lifestyle ... I think he would be proud that when he took his last breath and right before he took it, he was worried about the state and future of nonviolence, and that is alive and kicking (today).
Q: What do you want everyone to know about your father? And, what would you like everyone to know about Dr. Bernice A. King?
A lot of young people kind of feel like he came “ready-made.” But I want you to know that Martin Luther King Jr. made a “C” in public speaking at Morehouse College. And yet, he has not one of but the most known—and portions recited—speeches in the world! And, he had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to joke ... Believe it or not, I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of people in person. But I'm extremely socially shy. You might catch me somewhere in a corner. I don't like going to social events unless I got some crutches or I know enough people that I can find a safe space. But other than that, if you put me out there in a group of all strangers, I'm going to retreat.
Q: Your father said once, “we are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” What action should we take next Monday in honor of your father?
Our online edition, Nonviolence365 Online Edition, I think is important because that's a lifelong thing. We keep getting it wrong. We act in the name of King, but we don't act in the spirit of King. And we got to get the spirit of it right .... When I became a leader at the King Center, I delivered a message that it's not a day on, it's a life on. So instead of looking at what action I can take starting now—even before the King holiday—decide that I'm going to make my life a consistent testament to being involved in creating just, humane, equitable and peaceful society environments ... I'm also going to connect with those organizations that I know to be doing the work in the areas that I'm passionate about because none of us can tackle every area. See what organization you can become a part of. Sometimes, you may be in a situation where right now, in this moment, you can only be a donor. Or you decide I'm going to become a volunteer or an internship ... I'm going to also keep my eyes and ears open for anything that could be happening around me. And I'm going to have the courage and strength not to yell and scream and holler, but I'm going to figure out how to make sure that I'm interrupting something that is unjust and could bring harm and damage to somebody else.
Q: What is your favorite moment in your father’s history?
In January of 1956, right around January 27th, my father received a threatening call.
He'd received them—several of them—before. But this one kind of shook him up. It was
at around midnight. And he just began to have a conversation with God, you know, about
being down there and trying to do the best he could. And how afraid he was and that
he was at the end of his powers. He heard a voice that said, “Martin Luther King Jr., stand up for freedom. Stand up for justice. Stand up for
equality. And lo, I'll be with you till the end.” To me, that was the most important moment because, had he broke at that moment, I'm
not sure if the movement would have been able to continue without his leadership.
Because he was the one who kind of introduced—and articulated, more importantly—the
nonviolent way. And (he) kept the people motivated and had a great capacity to understand
the challenges holistically from the Black community (including) even those things
that the White community could be feeling. It could have made or broken that movement.
And it made it, obviously.
Q: How should we address the efforts today that appear to be geared towards undermining the right to vote or limit the right to vote or everybody to participate in elections? How should we go about addressing that?
Some things feel a little bit cyclical in the sense that the very thing that we're fighting for is the very thing we need to be vigilant about—which is voting, which is educating ourselves, which is we really need more organizations who are preparing people to represent individuals in the public square that way, in the public life that way. So that we can get beyond politics and really, truly get to the place where we have servant leaders in all of these different positions. It's not that it's not doable; it's just (that) it may take some time. We're thinking, “OK, there's a quick fix on this”—there is not a quick fix on this. It's going to be some hard work, and it's going to take some patience with ourselves through the process. Not patience in terms of waiting for the change, you got to help change the curve.
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