H onoring D r . M artin L utHer K ing , J r .
C eLebration e vents
King Family Together Again
at King Center
The youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
has been appointed chief executive officer of the center
dedicated to preserving and promoting his legacy.
The Rev. Bernice Albertine King will focus on external
affairs on behalf of The King Center, which was founded by
her mother, Coretta Scott King, shortly after the civil rights
icon was assassinated in 1968. Her elder brother, Martin
Luther King III, will remain president, and their brother,
Dexter, will continue to serve as board chairman.
The move signals the healing of a rift in the King family,
that came to a head in 2008, when Martin Luther King III
and Bernice King filed a lawsuit against Dexter King who
brought a countersuit against them for mismanagement of
Center funds. That lawsuit was resolved out of court in
2009.
Bernice King has sometimes disagreed with her family,
who do not share her conservative viewpoint on social
issues. Her mother, Coretta Scott King, and sister Yolanda
Denise King , and her brother Dexter all expressed disap-
pointment, when in 2004 she took part in a march against
same-sex marriage organized by Bishop Eddie Long.
However, Bernice King was with her mother when she
passed away in 2006. And one year later, she endowed the
“Be a King.” scholarship at Spelman College, donating
$100,000 of her personal wealth. The scholarship is award-
ed to two rising seniors, majoring in education, music or
psychology.
Yolanda King died suddenly in 2007 at age 51, leaving no
children. In 2008, Martin King III and his wife Andrea
named their daughter Yolanda.
Last year, 48-year-old Bernice King left her role as an
elder and pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church,
and declined to take office as the first woman president of
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the venera-
ble civil rights organization co-founded by her father in
1957.
widow of Medgar Evers will
speak at Georgia Tech
ATLANTA – Myrlie Evers-Williams. the widow of slain
civil rights leader Medgar Evers will speak at Georgia Tech
as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.
Evers-Williams, who now lives in Ashland Ore., will
speak Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Georgia Tech student cen-
ter ballroom.
Evers was chairman of the NAACP when he was shot and
killed in his driveway in 1963. His killer wasn’t convicted
until 1994.
Evers-Williams continued her husband’s civil rights work
after his death, eventually becoming chairwoman of the
NAACP in the 1990s. She has written several books on
civil rights and her husband’s legacy.
Dreaming and wrestling
De La Salle North Catholic High School will hold its 5th
Annual Martin Luther King Jr. pinning camp for wrestlers
on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The standout high
school has inaugurated a tradition of wrestling to celebrate
the civil rights pioneer. The event will be held from 9 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. in the De La Salle gym, at 7528 N. Fenwick
Ave.
Athletes, parents and families are invited to view a DVD
titled “I Have a Dream” which features Martin Luther King
Jr.’s last great speech. They will also discuss diversity, and
the importance of compassion.
January 11, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 11