‘He Really Loved People’: Dr. Bernice King on Living Out Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Love
As America gets ready to commemorate the 91st birthday of the late great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his daughter, Dr. Bernice King, is positioned to answer the call of her late father while simultaneously making it clear that our country could learn a lot from the highly revered leader.
“There are a lot of lessons that the country could learn from my father’s life,” King told Christian Headlines. “He was a deeply spiritual man who had a strong prayer life and faith in Jesus Christ.”
One of the many character traits King inherited from her father is leadership. King leads the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia and preaches across the United States.
Last week, King sat down for an interview with Christian Headlines to talk about her father’s legacy and how the country should remember him as the 42nd anniversary of his death approaches in April.
“My father had a deep concern and love for our country in facing racial inequality,” King shared noting that racial inequality is still a prevalent issue in America.
Ending racial inequality is one of the reasons King feels she is called to carry her father’s legacy. To that end, King works as the CEO of the King Center and serves as chairwoman and organizer for a week-long celebration put on by the center. The celebration has events for everyone and concludes with the annual Monday worship service.
According to The King Center’s website, the organization’s mission is to work toward “a world where global brotherhood and sisterhood are not a dream but the state of humankind.”
The mission echoes the overarching trait King hopes people will remember about her father – to love everyone. “He [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] really loved people regardless of who they were, how they felt about him or his community. Regardless of how they treated them, he still loved” she shared.
“I believe that we should love others in spite of who they are and hear all perspectives without judgment, which is even hard for me to do,” King said through a smile.
King, who was only a child when her father was assassinated, had to mature early; she seems at peace with that fact. A rushed maturity is something that she believes that Christ-followers must master in helping bridge the unity gap in our country. The night before her father was murdered, he preached the famous sermon “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.” King, who has memorized the sermon, believes that, as Christ-followers on the celebration of her father’s birthday, we should strive toward unity and the mountain top experience that her father is observing from above.
Watch our video interview with Dr. Bernice King here:
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Paras Griffin/Stringer
Video courtesy: Seattle Video Productions
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