By Alexandra Golder
Intern
Echoing her father’s message on nonviolence, Dr. Bernice King delivered a rousing address of today’s civil rights issues in Wilmington on Friday night before receiving the key to the city.
Speaking to a standing-room-only audience Jan. 22 at Kenan Auditorium on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus, the youngest daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King gave the audience a challenge to raise the standards for racial relations in the United States.
“Each of us in this room has a responsibility to make a difference — it’s not up to our leaders, it’s up to us,” said King, who serves as the chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based King Center, founded by her mother in 1968.
For her work in addressing youth violence nationwide, Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo awarded King a key to the city on behalf of the Wilmington Commission on African American History.
King’s speech began with a tribute to the work of her parents. As much as she stressed the importance of her father’s work, she also recognized that when her father was assassinated, had there not been someone dedicated to his work, there would not be a legacy. King credited this legacy to her mother.
King recounted the work of the King Center and spoke at length about the redistribution of wealth in society and the importance of putting people over profit.
In September 2014, King and 18 other members from The King Center went to Ferguson, Missouri, to guide the communities’ reaction to the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager who was killed by a Ferguson police officer. There, they trained community members, gang members and high school students in “Kingian nonviolence.”
“Nonviolence leaves you with your dignity,” she said.
King also spoke of the poverty in Ferguson, describing it as terrible, with no jobs or resources available. When people are insecure like that, she said, they will do anything to be seen and to survive.
King implored the audience to let unconditional love drive their behavior, thinking and policy. She told the crowd that we have a decision: nonviolent coexistence or violent annihilation.
“Violence is the language of the unheard,” King said.
King also spoke about the controversial topic of gun control.
“I believe we’re less safe [with guns],” she said.
In her closing statements, King informed listeners that the victim they see as their enemy is a victim of their own hate.
The crowd met King’s comments with shouts of “that’s right” and “amen.”
Kent Guion, UNCW’s chief diversity officer, said the university was fortunate to have King as a speaker for the event that honored her father’s legacy.
“She shares the critical messages of community, mentorship and remaining steadfast to advancing the rights of humankind,” Guion said. “It’s through the work of several community partners that we are able to share her talents and timely messages.”
Atiba Johnson, chairman of the city’s Commission on African American History, said it was an honor to have King speak in Wilmington.
“It is an awesome opportunity for the City of Wilmington, especially our youth,” Johnson said.
