Bernice King
Encyclopedia
Bernice Albertine King (born March 28, 1963) is the second daughter and youngest child of civil rights
leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King
. Her older siblings are Martin Luther King III
, Dexter Scott King
, and the late Yolanda Denise King. Bernice is the only King child to become a minister. She was elected in 2009 as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC), but declined in January of 2011, citing disagreements with the organization's leadership.
Due to her profile and skill in public speaking, King has been asked to speak around the world. Ebony
magazine named her as one of their Ten of Tomorrow future leaders of the black community. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority.
Bernice was only five years old when her father died. At 17, she was invited to speak at the United Nations
in the absence of her mother. She is a graduate of Douglass High School in Atlanta, attended Grinnell College
in Iowa and she graduated from Spelman College
with a degree in psychology.
King says she once considered suicide
before God
intervened. At the age of 24, she decided to become a minister and in 1990 received a Master's degree
in Divinity
from the Candler School of Theology
and a Juris Doctor in Law from Emory University School of Law
. King is a member of the State Bar of Georgia.
With her brother Martin Luther King III
, she has played an active part in reforming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
once led by their father. When she was elected President of SCLC on October 30, 2009, a position previously held by both her father and brother, she became the first woman to lead the group.
In 1996, King published a collection of her sermons and speeches called Hard Questions, Heart Answers which received a positive review from USA Today
.
In 2000, she narrated the Lincoln Portrait at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Kiel
.
In 2004, Bernice King participated in a march against same-sex marriage
in Atlanta. This action was in contrast to the advocacy of her mother, Coretta Scott King and her older sister Yolanda Denise King, both long-time outspoken supporters of gay rights.
In 2006, King was with her mother when she died in a hospital in Mexico
.
On January 30, 2007, one year after the death of her mother Coretta Scott King, Bernice King founded the Be A King Scholarship at Spelman College
(Atlanta, GA) in honor of her mother's legacy. Bernice King donated $100,000 of her personal funds, while $75,000 was donated from Home Depot and $15,000 from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
. The scholarship will be awarded to two rising seniors at Spelman college who are majoring in music, education or psychology.
On December 14, 2007, at the State Bar of Georgia Headquarters, Bernice King was honored by the Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys
http://www.gaaaa.net/index1.htm by being presented with the "Commitment to Community" award for her work as an attorney and community leader.
On January 20, 2009, she joined the CNN Situation Room with her brother, Martin Luther King III, to discuss the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States
, Barack Obama
.
On July 7, 2009, Bernice spoke alongside her brother Martin Luther King III at the Staples Center
in Los Angeles
during a ceremony commemorating the life of Michael Jackson
.
In 2008, Bernice King and her brother Martin Luther King III brought suit against their brother Dexter, who brought a counter-suit against them over mismanagement of funds from the King Center. Dexter King articulated his distress at Bernice King's conservative religious views as departing from their father's legacy.http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/08/19/dexter_king_lawsuit.html In October, 2009, the lawsuits were settled out of court.
King was elected President and CEO of SCLC in October, 2009, but discord in the organization has prevented her taking that position. She is a former elder at New Birth (resigned May 2011 ), a licensed attorney and member of the Georgia Bar, and works as a mediator. Bernice King is not married and does not have any children.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
. Her older siblings are Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
, Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King is the second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Martin Luther King III, the Reverend Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King....
, and the late Yolanda Denise King. Bernice is the only King child to become a minister. She was elected in 2009 as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC), but declined in January of 2011, citing disagreements with the organization's leadership.
Due to her profile and skill in public speaking, King has been asked to speak around the world. Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
magazine named her as one of their Ten of Tomorrow future leaders of the black community. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
sorority.
Bernice was only five years old when her father died. At 17, she was invited to speak at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in the absence of her mother. She is a graduate of Douglass High School in Atlanta, attended Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
in Iowa and she graduated from Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
with a degree in psychology.
King says she once considered suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
before God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
intervened. At the age of 24, she decided to become a minister and in 1990 received a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
from the Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
and a Juris Doctor in Law from Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is a first-tier US law school that is part of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It is ranked #30 among ABA-approved law schools by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report...
. King is a member of the State Bar of Georgia.
With her brother Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
, she has played an active part in reforming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
once led by their father. When she was elected President of SCLC on October 30, 2009, a position previously held by both her father and brother, she became the first woman to lead the group.
In 1996, King published a collection of her sermons and speeches called Hard Questions, Heart Answers which received a positive review from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.
In 2000, she narrated the Lincoln Portrait at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
.
In 2004, Bernice King participated in a march against same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
in Atlanta. This action was in contrast to the advocacy of her mother, Coretta Scott King and her older sister Yolanda Denise King, both long-time outspoken supporters of gay rights.
In 2006, King was with her mother when she died in a hospital in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
On January 30, 2007, one year after the death of her mother Coretta Scott King, Bernice King founded the Be A King Scholarship at Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
(Atlanta, GA) in honor of her mother's legacy. Bernice King donated $100,000 of her personal funds, while $75,000 was donated from Home Depot and $15,000 from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a megachurch run by senior pastor Bishop Eddie Long in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, near Lithonia. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in 1987, there were just 300 church members...
. The scholarship will be awarded to two rising seniors at Spelman college who are majoring in music, education or psychology.
On December 14, 2007, at the State Bar of Georgia Headquarters, Bernice King was honored by the Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys
Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys
The Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys is a minority bar association in the state of Georgia in the United States. Founded in 1992, the GAAAA was created as a result of the legal case of Tyrone Brooks, et al., v. Georgia State Board of Elections and Max Cleland, Secretary of State and...
http://www.gaaaa.net/index1.htm by being presented with the "Commitment to Community" award for her work as an attorney and community leader.
On January 20, 2009, she joined the CNN Situation Room with her brother, Martin Luther King III, to discuss the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
On July 7, 2009, Bernice spoke alongside her brother Martin Luther King III at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
during a ceremony commemorating the life of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
In 2008, Bernice King and her brother Martin Luther King III brought suit against their brother Dexter, who brought a counter-suit against them over mismanagement of funds from the King Center. Dexter King articulated his distress at Bernice King's conservative religious views as departing from their father's legacy.http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/08/19/dexter_king_lawsuit.html In October, 2009, the lawsuits were settled out of court.
King was elected President and CEO of SCLC in October, 2009, but discord in the organization has prevented her taking that position. She is a former elder at New Birth (resigned May 2011 ), a licensed attorney and member of the Georgia Bar, and works as a mediator. Bernice King is not married and does not have any children.