Dexter Scott King
Encyclopedia
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
.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia
and named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father was pastor before moving to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Dexter was seven years old when his father was killed. Twenty-nine years later, Dexter met with James Earl Ray
, imprisoned for his father's 1968 murder. He believes that Ray was not involved with his father's assassination.
At a 1999 press conference, Coretta Scott King stated that "there is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr...the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. The jury also affirmed overwhelming evidence
that identified someone else, not James Earl Ray, as the shooter, and that Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame." Following statements by Dexter King and other family members, Dexter was subsequently asked by a reporter, "there are many people out there who feel that as long as these conspirators remain nameless and faceless there is no true closure, and no justice." He replied:
King attended Morehouse College
, the alma mater of his late father. He did not graduate, but studied Business Administration while there. He later became an actor and documentary film maker.
King splits his time between Atlanta, Georgia
, where he serves as chairman of the King Center
, and Malibu, California.
Dexter Scott King served as president of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
, but resigned in 1989 only months after taking the office after a dispute with his mother, Coretta Scott King
. He resumed the position in 1994, but the King Center's influence was sharply reduced by then.
Dexter has been a dedicated vegan and animal rights
activist since the late 1980s
.
Dexter's elder sister, Yolanda, collapsed at the home of his best friend, Philip Madison Jones, on May 15, 2007. She could not be revived and died at the age of 51. Her family believes she had a heart condition.
; in addition, he was sued by Bernice King on behalf of the estate of Coretta King
. The lawsuit alleged that Dexter King improperly took funds from the estate of Coretta King
and his father Martin Luther King, Jr.
. On August 18, 2008, Dexter King filed a counter suit stating his siblings had "breached their fiduciary and personal duties to the King Center in Atlanta and their father’s estate, misused assets belonging to the center, and kept money that should have been channeled back into the center and the estate."
These lawsuits were filed in Fulton County, GA Superior Court.
The lawsuits were settled out of court in October 2009.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
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...
. His 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...
, the Reverend Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise King
Yolanda King
Yolanda Denise King was the first-born child of Coretta Scott King and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. In 1978 the official name was changed to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who helped to organize the...
in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father was pastor before moving to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Dexter was seven years old when his father was killed. Twenty-nine years later, Dexter met with James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
, imprisoned for his father's 1968 murder. He believes that Ray was not involved with his father's assassination.
At a 1999 press conference, Coretta Scott King stated that "there is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr...the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. The jury also affirmed overwhelming evidence
Reasonable doubt
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is the standard of evidence required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems . Generally the prosecution bears the burden of proof and is required to prove their version of events to this standard...
that identified someone else, not James Earl Ray, as the shooter, and that Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame." Following statements by Dexter King and other family members, Dexter was subsequently asked by a reporter, "there are many people out there who feel that as long as these conspirators remain nameless and faceless there is no true closure, and no justice." He replied:
"No, he [Mr. Lloyd Jowers] named the shooter. The shooter was the Memphis Police Department Officer, Lt. Earl Clark who he named as the killer. Once again, beyond that you had credible witnessCredible witnessIn the law of evidence, a credible witness is a person making testimony in a court or other tribunal, or acting otherwise as a witness, whose credibility is unimpeachable. A witness may have more or less credibility, or no credibility at all...
es that named members of a Special Forces team who didn't have to act because the contract killer succeeded, with plausible denial, a Mafia contracted killer".
King attended Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, the alma mater of his late father. He did not graduate, but studied Business Administration while there. He later became an actor and documentary film maker.
King splits his time between Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, where he serves as chairman of the King Center
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site established on October 10, 1980, consists of several buildings surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s boyhood home on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn historic district of Atlanta, Georgia. The original Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where King...
, and Malibu, California.
Dexter Scott King served as president of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1969 by Coretta Scott King...
, but resigned in 1989 only months after taking the office after a dispute with his mother, 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...
. He resumed the position in 1994, but the King Center's influence was sharply reduced by then.
Dexter has been a dedicated vegan and animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activist since the late 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
.
Family
King's mother, Coretta Scott King, died on January 30, 2006, at the age of 78.Dexter's elder sister, Yolanda, collapsed at the home of his best friend, Philip Madison Jones, on May 15, 2007. She could not be revived and died at the age of 51. Her family believes she had a heart condition.
Lawsuits
On July 11, 2008, Dexter King was sued by his sister Bernice Albertine King and brother Martin Luther King IIIMartin 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...
; in addition, he was sued by Bernice King on behalf of the estate of Coretta 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...
. The lawsuit alleged that Dexter King improperly took funds from the estate of Coretta 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...
and his father Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
. On August 18, 2008, Dexter King filed a counter suit stating his siblings had "breached their fiduciary and personal duties to the King Center in Atlanta and their father’s estate, misused assets belonging to the center, and kept money that should have been channeled back into the center and the estate."
These lawsuits were filed in Fulton County, GA Superior Court.
The lawsuits were settled out of court in October 2009.
Television
- 1-800-Missing1-800-MissingMissing is a Canadian-American crime drama television series based on the 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU book series by Meg Cabot...
, Lost Sister episode (2004) - The Rosa Parks StoryThe Rosa Parks StoryThe Rosa Parks Story is a 2002 American television movie written by Paris Qualles and directed by Julie Dash. Angela Basset portrays Rosa Parks. It was broadcast by CBS on February 24, 2002.-Plot:...
(2002)