Bernice King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernice King
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King in April 2014
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Bernice Albertine King
March 28, 1963 |
| Education | Spelman College (BS) Emory University (MDiv, JD) |
| Occupation | CEO of The King Center |
| Parent(s) | Martin Luther King Jr. Coretta Scott King |
| Relatives | Alberta Williams King (grandmother) Martin Luther King Sr. (grandfather) Yolanda Denise King (sister) Martin Luther King III (brother) Dexter Scott King (brother) Alveda King (cousin) Edythe Scott Bagley (aunt) Christine King Farris (aunt) |
Bernice Albertine King, born on March 28, 1963, is an American lawyer and minister. She is the youngest child of famous civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Bernice was only five years old when her father passed away in 1968.
As a teenager, Bernice decided she wanted to become a minister. This decision came after watching a documentary about her father. When she was 17, she was even invited to speak at the United Nations. Twenty years after her father's death, she gave her first sermon. Her parents' work for justice inspired her.
Her mother, Coretta Scott King, passed away in 2006. Bernice delivered a moving speech at her funeral. A year later, her sister Yolanda also passed away, and Bernice spoke at her memorial service too. In 2008, Bernice supported Barack Obama's campaign for president. She said his nomination was part of her father's dream for America.
In 2009, Bernice King was chosen to be the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Her father and older brother, Martin Luther King III, had also led this group. She was the first woman to be elected to this important role. However, she later decided not to take the position in January 2010.
Just a few months later, Bernice became the CEO of The King Center. This center works to continue her parents' legacy of nonviolent social change. Her main goal is to share her father's ideas about nonviolence, which the King Center calls "Nonviolence 365." She believes these ideas can help solve many problems in society. Bernice also leads First Kingdom Management, a Christian consulting company.
Contents
Bernice King's Early Life
Childhood and Family Tragedies
Bernice Albertine King was born on March 28, 1963, in Atlanta, Georgia. The day after she was born, her father had to leave for Birmingham, Alabama. But he quickly returned to drive Bernice and her mother, Coretta, home from the hospital. He had to leave again soon after, which was common because of his important work.
A family friend, Harry Belafonte, saw how busy Coretta was with four children and the Civil Rights Movement. He offered to pay for a nurse to help. They accepted, and the nurse helped for several years. Bernice's father passed away just a week after her fifth birthday.
Bernice remembers only two clear things about her father. One is of him at home with their family. The other is of him in his casket at his funeral. She later said, "Even though I knew him so little, he left me so much." When her father was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, Bernice was asleep. Her mother told her she would see her father next at his funeral.
As she grew older, Bernice struggled to understand her father's death. She said, "I was five when my father was assassinated, so I had no concept of who my father really was." Around age 15 or 16, she finally understood. She felt angry that he had left her.
After her husband's death, Coretta Scott King raised her four children as a single mother. Bernice believes being raised by a single parent helped her understand other single-parent homes. She said, "I didn't have a father to deal with about boyfriends." This experience made her want to help young people who don't have a father figure.
More sad events happened in Bernice's childhood. Her uncle, Alfred Daniel Williams King, drowned when Bernice was six. Five years later, her grandmother, Alberta Williams King, was shot and killed during a church service. Bernice also lost a cousin to a heart attack. Her grandfather, Martin Luther King Sr., also passed away from a heart attack.
Bernice found strength through these tough times. She said it took "A lot of prayer. Some crying. Some screaming." She looked for people to relate to, but felt "nobody fits the bill." Her older sister, Yolanda, experienced parts of the Civil Rights Movement that Bernice did not. Bernice also felt her brothers had different experiences because "Guys process things differently."
Deciding to Become a Minister
Bernice said that the deaths of her grandmother and uncle caused her to have anger issues. When she was 16, she watched a documentary about her father's life. It was called Montgomery to Memphis. She had seen it many times before, but this time it made her cry for almost two hours.
She ran out of the room and cried in the woods. This emotional moment helped her decide to become a minister. She wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. He was a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
At that time, Bernice had dreamed of becoming the first female President of the United States. A church youth leader, Timothy McDonald, comforted her when she cried. He told her it was good to express her feelings. He said coming to terms with her father's death was "a stepping stone" for her future.
Bernice attended Douglass High School in Atlanta. Her brother Dexter also went there. When she was 17, she was asked to speak at the United Nations. She also felt a calling to become a minister that year.
Bernice King's Adult Life
At 19, Bernice gave her first big speech in Chicago. She said, "We've come a long way. But we have a long way to go." Many people in the audience said she reminded them of her father. Bernice went to Grinnell College in Iowa. She later graduated from Spelman College, a historically black college in Atlanta, in 1985. She earned a degree in psychology.
On June 26, 1985, Bernice was arrested with her mother Coretta and brother Martin Luther King III. They were protesting against apartheid in South Africa outside an embassy. They spent the night in jail. They were charged with a minor offense for protesting too close to an embassy.
In January 1986, Bernice was arrested again with her sister Yolanda and brother Martin Luther King III. They were protesting at a supermarket that sold South African products. This was the first time all three siblings were arrested together at a protest. On her father's 58th birthday in 1987, Bernice spoke in Chicago.
At 24, Bernice decided to become a minister. She earned two advanced degrees from Emory University in 1990. She received a Master of Divinity and a Juris Doctor (law degree).
Her Ministry Work
On May 14, 1990, Bernice King became the second woman to be ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She called it "the most humbling moment" of her life. She felt she was "not worthy of this high calling."
In January 1992, President George H. W. Bush visited the King Center. Bernice spoke during his visit. She talked about how racism, poverty, and violence were still problems in America.
In 1994, Bernice spoke out against New Hampshire not recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She called the decision "racist." In May 1994, she attended a conference for African-American women. She said parents should not let their children listen to "gangster rap" music.
In 1996, Bernice published a book of her sermons and speeches called Hard Questions, Heart Answers. In 2000, she narrated a musical performance in Germany. She also joined Fred Shuttlesworth in leading a celebration of her father's life at Stanford University.
Bernice was an elder at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. She joined in 2002 and saw Bishop Eddie Long as her mentor. Her mother's funeral was held at this church. Bernice left the church in 2010.
Bernice said her mother was very impressed by Barack Obama's speech in 2004. Her mother believed in his political future. In 2006, Bernice told teenagers she wanted to do more to continue her parents' legacy of nonviolence. She said, "I want to make sure my life is not a contradiction."
In 2007, Bernice started the Be A King Scholarship at Spelman College. This scholarship honors her mother's legacy. In 2013, a rose was planted for her mother, Coretta, at the Alabama Capitol. Bernice said her mother loved roses but was too busy continuing her husband's work to tend to them.
In 2014, Bernice and her brother Martin Luther King III joined the Governor of Georgia. He signed a law to create a statue of their father. Bernice said statues help future generations remember important people. She also accepted a $50,000 grant from Microsoft for the King Center. In June 2014, her parents were given the Congressional Gold Medal after their deaths. Bernice said her family was "deeply honored" by the award.
During college, Bernice thought about becoming a television anchor. In 1988, she and other students at Emory University said the college should hire more African American teachers. They also wanted more works by African American thinkers in their courses. Bernice said black students on mostly white campuses had been "ignored" and "humiliated."
Bernice served as a student chaplain at a center for people with disabilities and a hospital. She also interned at the Atlanta City Attorney's office. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, like her mother.
On March 27, 1988, almost 20 years after her father's death, Bernice gave her first sermon. It was at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The sermon's theme was "You've Got To Rise Above The Crowd." Bernice said this sermon was "affirming a call I received at 17." She added, "At some point in our lives, comes the moment of decision. For me, that moment is now."
Andrew Young, who was there, said her style was like her father's. He called listening to her speak "a very emotional occasion." After her sermon, Bernice was given her license to preach. The pastor of Ebenezer said, "another warrior, a peaceful warrior, is fighting under the spirit of her father, grandfather and uncle." Church members said her style was very similar to her father's.
Bernice's mother was happy with her daughter's decision to become a minister. She said they had become closer. She also said listening to her daughter preach with the same passion as her father was "a joyous occasion." All three of Bernice's older siblings were there. Her sermon was given the day before her 25th birthday.
Leading The King Center
In 2008, Bernice and her brother, Martin Luther King III, had a disagreement with their brother Dexter Scott King. It was about how the King Center's money was being managed. Dexter also said he was worried about Bernice's religious views. The disagreements were settled out of court in 2009.
In January 2012, Bernice King was named CEO of the King Center. In May 2012, she met with Aïssata Issoufou Mahamadou, the First Lady of Niger. Mahamadou visited the King Center because she admired Bernice's parents.
In September 2013, Evelyn G. Lowery passed away. The King Center released a statement from Bernice King. She said she was "deeply saddened" by the death. In November 2013, Bernice joined Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremony for new immigrants. She spoke about her dislike for terms like "illegal aliens."
On March 28, 2014, for Bernice's 51st birthday, the King Center held an event for girls and women. They showed a documentary called "Girls Rising." Bernice said the event was "designed to educate, empower and inspire young women."
In August 2014, Bernice spoke about the shooting death of Michael Brown and the protests that followed. She asked people to use nonviolent actions. She also said the community of Ferguson, Missouri needed help after years of neglect. A small group from the King Center planned to visit Ferguson.
On August 20, Bernice released a statement about Michael Brown's death, showing sympathy for his parents. On August 26, she spoke to students at Riverview Gardens High School. Bernice told the students that her father's legacy was "on the line." She said if things didn't go well, people might question what happened years ago.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference Role
Bernice King and her brother Martin Luther King III have worked to improve the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Her father once led this group. When she was elected president and CEO of SCLC in October 2009, she became the first woman to lead the group. However, problems within the organization kept her from taking the position. Bernice won the election by a vote of 23 to 15.
Experts said Bernice would need to go beyond her family history in this role. Andra Gillespie, a professor, said Bernice could use her father's legacy. But she would also need to "redefine" it and "push that legacy forward."
Bernice was excited at first, but she felt the SCLC's board was "ignoring" her ideas. She had made suggestions in October 2010 but didn't hear back for three months. She felt "disrespect" because of the delay. Despite this, she said she would "pray for them to move in a positive direction."
In October 2010, she led a prayer for healing and unity within the SCLC. Bernice called the SCLC holding two separate meetings "an unfortunate turn of events." In January 2011, she decided not to be the SCLC's president. In August 2014, Bernice supported Birmingham, Alabama, hosting the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She said it would be special because of the "golden anniversary of civil rights events."
Awards and Recognition
On December 14, 2007, Bernice King was honored by the Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys. She received the "Commitment to Community" award for her work as a lawyer and community leader.
On October 7, 2009, she received an award for her "lifetime of service to women and other causes." This was at the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Convention.
On November 7, 2013, Bernice received the Legend Award. This was part of the "Celebrating the Dream" event. It honored the 50th anniversary of her father's "I Have a Dream" speech. Bernice also gave a speech at the event.
Ebony magazine named her one of their Ten of Tomorrow. This list highlights future leaders in the black community.
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See also
In Spanish: Bernice King para niños
