Martin Luther King III

Martin Luther King III (born October 23, 1957) is an American human rights activist and philanthropist. He is the second child and eldest son of the famous civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

Growing up in a family that worked for equal rights, Martin Luther King III learned the importance of standing up for what is right from a young age.

He served as the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1997 to 2004. This organization, founded by his father, continues to work for justice and equality for all people. In this role, King worked to support many important causes.

Today, as of 2024, Martin Luther King III is a professor of practice at the University of Virginia. There, he teaches and inspires students to make a positive difference in the world. His life and work show how one person can continue to make a big impact.

Early life

Martin Luther King III was born on October 23, 1957, in Montgomery, Alabama. His parents were civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He grew up in Vine City, a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, with his three siblings: Yolanda, Dexter, and Bernice.

King went to Spring Street Elementary School and later The Galloway School. He finished his studies at Morehouse College in 1979, earning a degree in political science. Like his father, he joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Adult life and career

Martin Luther King III worked hard to support human rights. In 1985, he was arrested with his mother and sister during a protest in South Africa. Later, he joined politics and served on the Fulton County Commission from 1987 to 1993. He helped protect his father’s legacy by managing the use of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s name and image.

King spoke in support of Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. This was important because Obama became the first African American nominated by a major party for president. He also gave a tribute speech at Michael Jackson’s memorial service in 2009. In his speeches, King talked about the importance of justice and fairness.

Working with President Barack Obama

Martin Luther King III spoke at the 2008 Democratic National Convention to support Barack Obama. He said his father would have been proud of this historic moment. In 2009, King joined Obama for a community service project at a shelter for teens in Washington, D.C.

Michael Jackson's memorial service

Martin Luther King III gave a tribute speech at Michael Jackson’s memorial service in Los Angeles in 2009. He joined his sister Bernice to honor the musician.

Public response during Trump impeachment trial

In 2020, Martin Luther King III spoke out after someone from President Donald Trump’s legal team used his father’s name during Trump’s impeachment trial. King said it was wrong to use his father’s name while ignoring the issues of justice and fairness he stood for.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

In 1997, Martin Luther King III became the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This group was started by his father and works for civil rights.

As the group's president, he helped with important issues. He worked to stop police brutality and supported changing the Georgia state flag.

King faced some challenges as leader. He was asked to take on new plans for the group. Later, he focused on fairness for prisoners and helping different groups have better technology.

Drum Major Institute

Martin Luther King III is the Chairman of the Drum Major Institute. This institute began in 1999 to support the ideas of his father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It wants to make a world without racism, poverty, or violence. The institute continues the work of an earlier group called the Harry Wachtel Foundation. This group was started in 1960 by his father’s lawyer, Harry Wachtel, Sr.. In talks, King speaks about the need to end poverty, racism, and violence. He talks about promoting peace, justice, and fairness. He reminds us of his parents' message through Coretta Scott King’s legacy as well.

King Center

In 2006, King started a group called Realizing The Dream. On April 4, 2008, the anniversary of his father's death, King and Al Sharpton led a march in Memphis, Tennessee. There, he visited the Lorraine Motel and placed a wreath where his father once stood. He asked everyone to keep working for his father's dream and talked about Realizing the Dream, which works to help poor people.

In 2010, Martin Luther King III, his brother Dexter King, and his sister Bernice King announced that Martin Luther King III was re-elected as president and CEO of The King Center. As president, King helped start a project with JPMorgan Chase to digitize and photograph about 200,000 historic documents, including his father's speeches and writings, and make them available online. He also started a project with Syracuse University to preserve and digitize about 3,500 hours of audio and video footage of his father. He made plans to improve The King Center's Freedom Hall Complex with a $100 million renovation.

With Reverend Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders, King joined a march on August 28, 2010, to remember the 47th anniversary of the historic Great March on Washington. This happened on the same day as Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally.

In 2011, King helped lead protests against efforts to take away the rights of public workers in Wisconsin and other states.

In 2013, King went to Philadelphia to support a campaign on poverty, jobs, and education. He also traveled to Washington for the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington. In November 2013, King spoke at DePauw University about his memories of John F. Kennedy's assassination.

In 2014, King appeared on MSNBC's The Cycle and talked about the need for better communication between African Americans and political groups like the Tea Party Movement.

Ferguson, Missouri

In August 2014, Martin Luther King III talked about the shooting of Michael Brown. He planned to visit Ferguson, Missouri. He joined a rally with Brown’s parents and later went to Brown’s funeral. In an interview, King said that his father would feel sad about the trouble after the court decision.

Other pursuits and interests

In January 2011, Martin Luther King III talked about working with the New York Mets baseball team to help make things fairer for everyone. He helped start Bounce TV, a television network for Black audiences. Today, he is on the advisory board for Let America Vote, a group that works to make sure everyone can vote easily.

In February 2021, King spoke at an event in Mexico to honor a former Mexican leader. He also visited a statue of his father in Mexico City.

Ministers March for Justice

On August 28, 2017, Martin Luther King III marched with Al Sharpton in Washington D.C. for the Ministers March for Justice. This event brought together many ministers to speak out against the policies of President Donald Trump.

2021 New York City mayoral election

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2021, Martin Luther King III made a video. In the video, he said he liked New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. He liked Yang's idea to give everyone a small amount of money each month. This idea was inspired by King’s father. King also joined Yang's campaign as a co-chair.

Realizing the Dream

On January 15, 2024, Martin Luther King III announced a special project called "Realizing the Dream." This project brings together young people, teachers, and communities to do good work together. The goal is to help make the world a better place by doing 100 million hours of helpful activities by the year 2029.

Martin Luther King III shared his ideas at big sports events, like football and basketball games. He talked about how important it is for people to work together, even when they disagree. He also wrote a book with some famous friends, and they plan to share more stories about making a difference through a podcast.

Family

In May 2006, Martin Luther King III married Arndrea Waters. On May 25, 2008, they had a daughter named Yolanda Renee King. She was the first and only grandchild of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. Yolanda was named after her aunt, Yolanda King, who passed away the year before. When she was 9 years old, Yolanda spoke at the March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018.

Honors and awards

Martin Luther King III has received many honors for his work in human rights. In 2006, he helped start the Super Bowl XL by presenting a special coin. In 2008, he threw the first pitch at a special baseball game called the Civil Rights Game.

In 2010, King was given an award in Mumbai, India, for promoting human rights. In 2015, he received a Humanitarian Award from the Montreal Black Film Festival for his contributions.