Yolanda King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yolanda King
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King in 1995
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| Born |
Yolanda Denise King
November 17, 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | May 15, 2007 (aged 51) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Yoki |
| Education | Smith College (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress, activist |
| Years active | 1976–2007 |
| Known for | Daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. |
| Parent(s) | Martin Luther King Jr. Coretta Scott King |
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Yolanda Denise King (born November 17, 1955 – died May 15, 2007) was an American activist and actress. She was the first child of famous civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Yolanda was known for her artistic talents, public speaking, and her work for human rights. Her life was deeply shaped by her father's important work for equality.
She was born just two weeks before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. Growing up, Yolanda sometimes faced threats meant to scare her parents. She helped care for her younger brothers and sister. She was also bullied at school because of who her father was. When her father was killed in 1968, 12-year-old Yolanda showed great strength during his public funeral. She joined her mother and siblings in marches. Famous singer Harry Belafonte even set up a special fund to help her and her siblings.
As a teenager, Yolanda became a strong leader in high school. Magazines like Jet and Ebony wrote about her. Her teenage years also brought sadness, including the death of her uncle and the murder of her grandmother. Despite challenges, she made lasting friends in high school. It was the only place where she felt treated normally, not just as "Martin Luther King's daughter." She kept good grades and was class president for two years. Yolanda was also known for her sense of humor, much like her father.
In the 1990s, Yolanda supported a new trial for James Earl Ray, the man convicted of her father's murder. She publicly said she did not hate him. Her acting career grew, and she appeared in films like Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) and Selma, Lord, Selma (1999). As an adult, she strongly supported LGBT rights, just like her mother. She was involved in a disagreement with some of her siblings about selling the King Center in Atlanta. Yolanda also spoke for her mother during her illness. Yolanda passed away just 16 months after her mother, due to a heart condition.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Growing Up: 1955–1963
Yolanda was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Her parents were Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. When she was only two weeks old, Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her bus seat. Even as a baby, Yolanda faced dangers because of her father's work. In 1956, people who supported segregation bombed the King family home. Yolanda and her mother were safe in the back of the house.
Her father sometimes worried about her name, "Yolanda," because people often mispronounced it. He later liked the nickname "Yoki." Her parents had another daughter, Bernice, almost eight years later. Yolanda remembered her mother being the main parent at home, as her father was often away.
Yolanda's mother said Yolanda was a trusted friend after her husband's death. Yolanda remembered her father playing and swimming with her when he was home. She cried when she learned her father was in jail. When she was six, classmates called her father a "jailbird," which made her sad.
One important memory was wanting to go to Funtown, a local amusement park, with her class. She was not allowed because she was Black. Her mother explained, "Your father is going to jail so that you can go to Funtown." Yolanda finally understood. Her father later told her that many white people wanted her to go, but some did not. He promised her that one day she would be able to go to "any town."
Important Events: 1963–1964
On November 22, 1963, Yolanda learned that U.S. President John F. Kennedy had been killed. She worried that African-Americans would not get their freedom now. Her mother tried to reassure her. Yolanda started to realize that her own father could also be in danger.
For Christmas in 1963, Yolanda and her siblings received only one gift. Their parents asked them to make a sacrifice. In 1964, when her father won the Nobel Peace Prize, Yolanda asked her mother what he would do with the money. She laughed with her mother when her mother suggested he would give it all away.
School Years and Her Father: 1965–1968
In 1965, Yolanda and her brother "Marty" started at Spring Street Elementary School in Atlanta. Their younger brother Dexter joined them later. In 1966, Yolanda listened to her father give a speech at a rally. At age eight, she wrote her first play. She also joined the only integrated drama school at the time.
Yolanda began speaking publicly at age ten. She sometimes spoke for her parents. She said her father believed everyone was special. She chose to continue his message of "oneness." Her mother wrote that Yolanda came into her father's life when he needed a break from his many pressures.
Her Father's Death: 1968
On April 4, 1968, when Yolanda was 12, she was with her mother. Jesse Jackson called to say her father had been shot. Yolanda heard the news on a bulletin while washing dishes. She already knew what it meant.
She ran out, screamed, and prayed he would not die. She asked her mother if she should hate the man who killed her father. Her mother told her not to, saying her father would not want that. Yolanda called her mother a "brave and strong lady." Four days later, she and her family went with her mother to Memphis City Hall. They joined a march with sanitation workers and civil rights leaders.
Mrs. Kennedy visited Yolanda before her father's funeral. Classmates brought flowers and cards. Bill Cosby also visited to entertain Yolanda and her siblings. Harry Belafonte had set up a trust fund for the children years before, ensuring their education.
Yolanda later said she doubted her father could have lived much longer due to the stress of the Civil Rights Movement. She believed if he had lived, "we would be in a far better place." Years later, she openly stated she did not hate James Earl Ray.
Teenage Years and High School: 1968–1972
In the fall of 1968, Yolanda attended Henry Grady High School in Atlanta. She was president of her sophomore and junior classes. She was also vice president of her senior class. She was in the top 10 percent of her class. Yolanda was active in student government and drama. She made lifelong friends there, known as the "Grady Girls."
At this time, Yolanda was unsure what she wanted to do with her life. Many people wanted her to be a preacher. But she was drawn to artistic things, which were different from her father's political life. Yolanda was the only King child to attend Grady High School.
In December 1968, Yolanda told Mike Wallace in an interview about her role in keeping the family together. As the oldest, she watched her three younger siblings when their mother was away. After her father's death, Yolanda told her mother, "Mom, I'm not going to cry because my dad is not dead. He may be dead physically, and one day I am going to see him again."
On July 21, 1969, Yolanda's uncle, Alfred Daniel Williams King, was found dead. His youngest children were with Yolanda's family in Jamaica when they heard the news. On April 4, 1970, Yolanda and her sister Bernice attended a silent prayer for their father at his gravesite. Visiting his grave became a yearly tradition for the King family.
As a teenager, Yolanda preferred her nickname "Yoki." She said, "Maybe when I'm older I won't be able to stand Yoki, but Yolanda sounds so formal!"
At 15, Yolanda caused some talk when she acted in the play The Owl and the Pussycat with a white male actor. Her mother tried to protect her from the negative comments. Her grandfather, Martin Luther King Sr., initially did not want to go but changed his mind. Yolanda later had to explain her actions to her church. One man wrote to Jet magazine, predicting she would marry a white person. Yolanda did not fully realize the public discomfort until years later.
In 1972, Jet magazine featured Yolanda. She spoke about living with her father's famous name. She said people expected her to be "stuck up." She called it one of the "handicaps" of being Martin Luther King's child. She wished "people could love everybody." She was happy her father had changed many things. People praised Yolanda for her "calmness, her concern," and "her vision."
Early Adulthood and Activism
College Years: 1972–1976
After high school, Yolanda attended Smith College. She enjoyed her classes. But after her second year, her grandmother Alberta Williams King was killed on June 30, 1974. This meant her grandfather and aunt were the only remaining close family members on her father's side.
Yolanda also faced some difficult times with classmates. Some Black students at the time were interested in the ideas of Malcolm X. They sometimes called her father an "Uncle Tom" (a term for a Black person seen as too eager to please white people). Yolanda worried her father would be remembered that way. She then read his books and realized he had been right all along.
She felt pressure as Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter. She said, "as soon as people heard me speak, they would compare me to my father." On April 4, 1975, Yolanda joined her family in placing flowers on her father's grave. This marked seven years since his death.
Life After College: 1976–1978
Yolanda graduated from Smith College in 1976. She became a human rights activist and actress. She told USA Today in 2000 that acting "allowed me to find an expression and outlet for the pain and anger I felt about losing my father." Her mother supported her acting career.
She served on the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. She was also involved with Habitat for Humanity and the American Heart Association. Yolanda earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College and a master's degree in theater from New York University. In 1978, she played Rosa Parks in the TV miniseries King, which was about her father's life.
Meeting Attallah Shabazz: 1979
In 1979, Yolanda met Attallah Shabazz, the oldest daughter of Malcolm X. Ebony Magazine arranged for them to meet for a photo. Both were worried they might not like each other because of their fathers' different approaches. But they quickly found they had much in common, especially their activism.
They were both studying theater in New York. They decided to work together on a play called Stepping into Tomorrow. This play was for teenagers and focused on high school friends reuniting. Stepping into Tomorrow led them to create Nucleus in the 1980s. This theater company was based in New York City and Los Angeles. It focused on the issues their fathers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, had spoken about. They performed in about 50 cities a year and gave talks, often in schools.
Adult Life and Continued Activism
King Holiday and Protests: 1980–1989
In 1980, Yolanda spoke about how Jim Crow (segregation) was gone, but its "sophisticated cousin" was still alive. She said people should not celebrate too soon and needed to keep fighting for equality. In 1984, she was arrested for protesting in front of the South African Embassy. This was to support anti-apartheid views, which meant opposing the system of racial separation in South Africa. It was her first arrest. In 1986, Yolanda, her brother Martin Luther King III, and her sister Bernice were arrested for protesting a Winn Dixie market.
On January 20, 1985, she expressed disappointment with her generation. She felt they were "laid-back and unconcerned" and "forgetting the sacrifices" made for them. That same year, she gave an award to Chicago Mayor Harold Washington.
She celebrated her father's holiday on January 16, 1986. She said her father had a "magnificent dream," but admitted "it still is only a dream." She also spoke about Black History Month, saying African-American history should not be limited to just one month. Yolanda had been a public speaker for over twenty years. She found it ironic that President Ronald Reagan signed the bill making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday.
On April 8, 1988, Yolanda and Attallah Shabazz were honored for their play Stepping into Tomorrow. Supervisors praised it as "entertaining and enlightening." In 1989, Yolanda returned to Smith College to give a speech. She spoke about her difficult experiences there but said she was still "grateful." She asked Americans to remember those who died for "peace and justice." At this time, she also directed cultural events for the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
Yolanda was the godmother of actress RaéVen Larrymore Kelly. They acted together in films like "America's Dream" and Ghosts of Mississippi. In Ghosts of Mississippi, they played the adult and child versions of Reena Evers.
Arizona Boycott and Ray Retrial: 1990–1999
On December 9, 1990, Yolanda canceled a play appearance in Tucson, Arizona. She supported a boycott because Arizona voters rejected making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday. Her friend Attallah Shabazz still performed. In 1991, Yolanda spoke to students, saying they should not be lazy about her father's dream. She joined her mother in placing a wreath on her father's grave.
In 1992, Yolanda stressed that love would help people make a difference. She also spoke at Indiana University. In 1993, she visited her father's gravesite 25 years after his death. She joined hands with her family and other activists, singing We Shall Overcome. She spoke at the Coral Springs City Centre in 1994. She noted that child poverty in America had nearly tripled. She urged people to "reach out" and "do what you can." She believed her father's dream of integration was not fully understood.
On February 1, 1994, Yolanda spoke to students about multiculturalism. She said Black History Month exists because America is still learning to accept its diverse people. In 1994, after seeing photos of her father, she felt the "fear and terror" people faced during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1995, she performed in the Chicago Sinfonietta, narrating "A Lincoln Portrait."
In 1995, Yolanda joined Ilyasah Shabazz and Reena Evers in encouraging one million African-American women to vote in the 1996 presidential election. In 1997, she and her family supported a new trial for James Earl Ray. She believed "without our direct involvement, the truth will never come out." In a 1999 interview, she said her heart still "skips a beat" when she hears news bulletins, remembering her father's death. Yolanda appeared as Miss Bright in the film Selma, Lord, Selma. She felt that children at the time only knew her father was killed, but not the full history.
Later Years and Legacy
Final Years: 2000–2007
In 2000, Yolanda spoke at the Human Rights Campaign Detroit Gala Dinner. She quoted Bobby Kennedy: "Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not?" In May 2000, she was asked if humans would ever be "color blind." She said the goal should be "color acceptance." After the September 11 attacks, Yolanda spoke in 2002. She felt her father's wisdom would have helped during the crisis. She, her brother Martin Luther King III, and Al Sharpton sang We Shall Overcome at the World Trade Center site.
In 2001, Yolanda promoted a show in Los Angeles called "Achieving the Dream." She changed costumes and voices for different roles. In 2003, she co-edited the book Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity. In 2004, she called her father a king, "not one who sat on a throne, but one who sat in a dark Birmingham jail." She said she finally felt comfortable with her identity in the past few years. In 2005, she said she struggled with her father's legacy for a long time. In 2004, she played Mama in "A Raisin in the Sun" at Cornell University.
Mother's Death and Final Months: 2006–2007
Yolanda's mother, Coretta Scott King, became ill after a stroke in August 2005. Yolanda was talking with her mother when she stopped speaking. Coretta had a blood clot in her brain. Yolanda told the press her mother was getting better. After her mother's stroke, Yolanda became a spokesperson for the American Heart Association, raising awareness about strokes.
That year, Yolanda and her brother Dexter disagreed with their other siblings, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. Yolanda and Dexter wanted to sell the King Center, but their siblings did not. After Coretta died on January 30, 2006, Yolanda attended her funeral. She said she felt a strong connection with her mother's spirit, which gave her peace.
In January 2007, Yolanda spoke at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She urged people to use her father's holiday to fight prejudice. She said, "We must keep reaching across the table... feed each other." Days before her death, on May 12, 2007, she spoke at St. Mary Medical Center for the American Heart Association.
Death
On May 15, 2007, Yolanda told her brother Dexter she was tired. About an hour later, she collapsed at a friend's home in Santa Monica, California. She could not be saved. Her death came just one year after her mother's. Her family believed her death was caused by a heart condition.
On May 19, 2007, Yolanda's body was brought to Atlanta, Georgia. A public memorial was held on May 24, 2007, at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Many people who did not know her attended out of respect for the King family. Yolanda was cremated, as she wished. She was 51 years old. All three of her siblings lit a candle for her.
Bernice King said, "Yolanda, from your one and only, I thank you for being a sister and for being a friend." Martin Luther King III said, "Yolanda is still in business. She just moved upstairs." Maya Angelou wrote a tribute to her, which was read at the service. She wrote that Yolanda "proved daily that it was possible to smile while wreathed in sadness." Many of her former classmates attended. Raphael Warnock said, "She dealt with the difficulty of personal pain and public responsibility and yet... she emerged from it all victorious."
Ideas and Influence
Yolanda King continued to believe that her father's dreams were not fully achieved during her lifetime. In 1993, she said, "It's easier to build monuments than to make a better world. It seems we've stood still and in many ways gone backward since Martin Luther King Jr. was alive."
However, in January 2003, she said she was "a 100 percent... believer in 'The Dream'." She called it a dream of freedom from hardship and a world where every child can be their best. She made it clear she was not trying to fill her father's shoes, joking, "They're too big." She wanted her father's holiday to be a day for helping others, not just relaxing. She disliked common sayings used to describe her father.
Yolanda was a strong supporter of gay rights, like her mother. She was arrested during a protest for lesbian and gay rights. In 2006, she said, "If you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you do not have the same rights as other Americans." She called this "totally unacceptable." Like her parents and siblings, she did not publicly join a political party. But she did oppose President Ronald Reagan for his hesitation to sign the bill for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Legacy
Dexter King said his sister "allowed me to give myself permission to be me." Jesse Jackson said Yolanda "lived with a lot of the trauma of our struggle. The movement was in her DNA." Joseph Lowery called her a "princess" who loved acting. In 2008, Ebony magazine highlighted her friendship with Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, who called her a "queen whose name was King." On May 25, 2008, her brother Martin Luther King III and his wife named their baby girl Yolanda Renee King after her. In 2009, a walk was held in her memory at her college, Smith College.
Portrayals in Film
Yolanda has been shown in films about her parents:
- Felecia Hunter played her in the 1978 TV miniseries King.
- Melina Nzeza played her as a child and Ronda Louis-Jeune as an adult in the 2013 TV movie Betty and Coretta.
Filmography
- King (1978, television mini-series) as Rosa Parks
- Hopscotch (1980) as Coffee Shop Manager
- Death of a Prophet (1981, television film) as Betty Shabazz
- No Big Deal (1983, television movie) as Miss Karnisian's Class
- Talkin' Dirty After Dark (1991) as Woman #2
- America's Dream (1996, television series) starred with her goddaughter RaéVen Larrymore Kelly
- Fluke (1996, television film) as Mrs. Crawford (segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black")
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) as Reena Evers (with her goddaughter RaéVen Larrymore Kelly)
- Drive by: A Love Story (1997, Short) as Dee
- Our Friend, Martin (1999, Video) as Christine King (voice)
- Selma, Lord, Selma (1999, television series) as Miss Bright
- Funny Valentines (1999) as Usher Lady #2
- The Secret Path (1999, television movie) as Ms. Evelyn
- Odessa (2000, short) as Odessa
- JAG (2000, television series) as Federal Judge Esther Green
- Any Day Now (2001, television series) as Marilyn Scott
- Liberty's Kids (2002, television series) as Elizabeth Freeman (voice)
- The Still Life (2006) as Herself / Art Buyer
See also
In Spanish: Yolanda King para niños
