Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy endures into a third generation through his only granddaughter, Yolanda Renee King. The young activist-turned-author is following in the footsteps of her predecessors, carving her path in the movement, and is dedicated to preserving the legacies of both her grandparents.
Part of that work emphasizes the importance of not overlooking the work of her grandmother, Coretta Scott King, as she continues the fight for justice and equality.
While promoting her new children’s book, “We Dream a World,” the 15-year-old interviewed with “CBS Mornings” and spoke about how often people forget that her grandmother, who died in 2006, played an integral role in changing the landscape of American history.
“I think that a lot of times in history people really forget about how much of a role she played in the movement and how really influential she was,” the young lady, dressed in a simple black turtleneck, red pleated skirt, classic hoops, and an age-appropriate natural curly puff, said.
In a quick history lesson, she shared, “A lot of people don’t know this, but actually, prior to the beginning of my grandfather joining the movement, she was a part of the peace movement which took place on college campuses in the 40s.”
According to the Voluntown Peace Trust, Coretta Scott King was initially engaged in the anti-war and anti-nuclear arms movements during her time as a student at Antioch College (class of ’51). This was well before meeting Dr. King. Scott continued working for peace by later joining organizations like the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Women Strike for Peace (WSP), and working with her husband in the SCLC.
Yolanda added, “She was the one who actually got my grandfather involved in the movement and encouraged him to be involved in the movement when they first met.”
Host Nate Burleson interjected, calling her “the spark.”
“Yes,” Yolanda said, continuing, “She was really involved and I think that a lot of people perceive my grandmother as the wife of Dr. King, and just the widow of Dr. King. They also don’t realize that after his death, how much she did to really keep ‘King’ alive.”
One way that Scott King kept “King” alive was by lecturing, speaking, and writing.
The Markulla Center quotes her as saying, “As we begin the twenty-first century, I think it is important that people of every race, religion, and nation join together to develop a shared vision of a world united in justice, peace, and harmony.”
“We should dare to dream of a world where no child lives in fear of war or suffers the ravages of militarism,” she added. “Instead of spending more than two billion dollars a day on the arms race, as the governments of the world do now, we must invest in human and economic development, so that no one has to live in poverty.”
Yolanda told the hosts that had her grandmother not stepped up, her grandfather’s legacy, dream, and message would have been lost. Further noting that without her grandmother’s advocacy, the country would not have a King holiday, the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a national day of service.
When talking about the birthday holiday, the devoted wife said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others,” staying on message with the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Burleson added, “She wasn’t the woman behind him. She was the woman next to him.”
Yolanda’s parents are Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King. Her new book, “We Dream A World,” was published on Jan. 2 and is available for sale.
