Welcome to In Search of Excellence! My guest today is Martin Luther King III, a human rights activist, advocate, and philanthropist. He is the oldest son and the oldest living child of the civil rights icons, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

For the past five decades, Martin has continued his parents’ legacy by dedicating his life to equality, social justice, and nonviolent activism, and is honored that activism through his dedication to human rights, voting access, gun violence prevention, race relations, and other important social causes. He advocates for underserved communities and he has led initiatives, including the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and he has also been awarded the Rosa L. Parks Award and the Lantern of Peace Award.

Time stamps:

01:56 Martin Luther King as a father

- MLK III was 10 years old when MLK Jr. was killed
- When he wasn’t on the road, he spent time with his children
- People always wanted to speak to him

05:55 Moving to Atlanta and bullying

- The first African American kids to integrate the Atlanta school
- A kid with issues started bullying them
- The change in their relationship
- Mental health issues and bullying

10:37 An advice to parents whose kids are bullied

- Work to build a strong foundation within your children
- Figure out how to fortify your child
- Martin Luther King’s speech about resilience

13:00 When did he find out how important was his dad?

- Fully aware when he was assassinated
- Many famous people used to come to their house
- The president Kennedy was at his funeral
- Listened to his dad’s speeches later in life

18:46 Traveling with his dad

- His dad traveled a lot
- 80% of the time he traveled alone
- He would always seek his wife’s advice and counsel
- They met at Boston University
- Moving to Montgomery and becoming the leader in the community

23:16 The constant threat on Martin Luther King’s life

- The incident with a burning cross
- Martin Luther King was in constant danger
- A bomb was thrown at their home in Montgomery
- The New York attack and the cross on the skin

30:30 Martin Luther’s King Jr. assassination

- The day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed
- Comforting conversations with his mother
- His mom led the march on Memphis before the funeral

35:00 The influence of I Had a Dream speech

- The Civil Rights March in Washington
- A speech that could be felt by everyone
- The last message delivered at the National Cathedral
- How to disagree without being disagreeable
- It’s important to have common ground and build relationships

41:38 The winning of the Nobel prize

- A validation that he was on the right road
- Wanted to create a better world for all of God's children
- Always better to resolve conflict than to pick up arms
- His message is equally needed today

45:36 Forgiveness and hatred

- Dad and mom taught them to forgive
- How to handle losing a loved one?
- His grandmother and uncle were killed in the next 5 years
- The traumatic meaning of special bulletins
- His grandfather meets his wife’s murderer
- Harboring hatred or finding a way to release and love

54:00 The burden of his name

- Subconsciously felt the challenges
- His mother liberated him by saying to be his best self
- Saying his name to

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"My Fair Lady" - Dr. Bob Long - August 20, 2023