Dr. Bernice King, youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., will speak at Portland State tomorrow.
The upcoming event, at 6 p.m. in the Peter Stott Center, will be presented by the PSU Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion. Tickets will be $15 for faculty, staff and the general public; entry for students will be free.
In honor of the achievements made by Martin Luther King Jr., as well as for Black History Month and the recent 50th anniversary of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Bernice King will speak to the legacy of her father. She will share information about her father’s teachings and the struggles he faced in his fight for civil rights and to reverse racial injustices.
The upcoming celebratory event will also include performances by Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductees Linda Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins.
King has given several recent speeches across the country. In a speech given this past January in Atlanta, Ga., she explained that King Jr. declared his fight against the “triple evils of poverty, racism and militarism.”
In an article by The Associated Press, King speaks to the need for continuation of her father’s legacy. “There is much work that we must do,” she said. “Are we afraid, or are we truly committed to the work that must be done?”
Lindsay Wahowick authored an article published in the Central Michigan Life newspaper detailing a speech given by King on a visit to Central Michigan University, where she discussed current societal problems and what it means to “Be a King,” referring to the title of the nonprofit organization that she founded of the same name.
“The answer’s not found in looking for another Martin Luther King. The reality is we’ve missed the most important thing and that is the notion of being a king,” King said, explaining that this notion of being a king is about being one who has influence.
Her idea of influence asserts that it should be used to improve one’s own life as well as the lives of others. “My message to you this evening is [that] it’s time to raise the standard of your life.”
These messages presented by King represent the need for continuation of her father’s fight, and sustaining his legacy.