The private sector enjoys tremendous freedom in the U.S, as it should. With freedom, however, comes responsibilities.
— Bernice King
Something is very wrong when our federal and state governments have a high tolerance for the unrestricted distribution of weapons of mass destruction, and it would be wrong to let this deadly form of neglect continue to facilitate bloodshed across America.
It is painful beyond measure to lose a loving father and grandmother to violence.
Often, I am asked, 'What was your father like?' or, 'What would he think?' These are very difficult questions to answer, as I was so very young when I lost my father.
In my view, it was no accident that Nelson Mandela was chosen by God to lead the people of South Africa. There are very few people who could be imprisoned, kept away from their family and loved ones, and exit that same prison with such a powerful spirit of love and a desire for reconciliation.
My mother and Ethel Kennedy became good friends and worked together on a number of causes they had shared with their husbands. They together co-chaired 'A Time to Remember' to mobilize a movement for gun control.
Trump's election could be a blessing in disguise. This is the opportunity for America to correct itself.
People have labeled me homophobic. If I was homophobic, I wouldn't have friends who are gay and lesbian, so that can't be true.
When I speak, I want to ensure that there is at least one person in the audience who leaves the room transformed.
The more you resist something, the more aggressive it becomes.
One person cannot be blamed for years of problems as it relates to race in America. This is something that has been with us since the founding of this nation. I mean, we were founded with slaves.
As you know, my father was for the inclusiveness and the betterment of society and the world. Certainly we recognize that there are diverse voices in our country, and people have the right of free speech. They have the right of choice, but again, it is our hope that when they choose, they choose to reflect those ideals that he taught us.
If I had to do it all over again, would I want my dad here? I would say no. Our world is in a better place because our father gave his life.
In addition to a stronger focus on better training for law enforcement, America urgently needs programs to provide jobs and educational opportunities in economically depressed communities.
We must rediscover our faith in the future and join with one another to ensure that nonviolence is the prevalent choice for government, law enforcement, the non-profit sector, business, education, media, entertainment, arts, and for the global citizenry.
Seek out your brothers and sisters of other cultures and join together in building alliances to put an end to all forms of racial discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice. There are people of good will of all races, religions, and nations who will join you in common quest for the betterment of society.
You will encounter misguided people from time to time. That's part of life. The challenge is to educate them when you can, but always to keep your dignity and self-respect and persevere in your personal growth and development.
It is incumbent on the media industry to discourage the glorification of media violence. It is also incumbent on consumers who love America to support this effort with selective patronage campaigns to encourage media that provides uplifting content and to boycott the worst offenders, if necessary.
With continued prayer and an equally-determined commitment to action for needed anti-violence reforms, let us resolve to work toward a new era in which every American child and every adult are protected from the ravages of brutality, safe and secure in our homes and schools and communities.
If each of us works toward making a sincere effort when we wake up each morning with a renewed commitment and dedication to embracing nonviolence as a lifestyle, this world will become a better place, bringing us ever closer to the Beloved Community of which my father so often spoke.
As I reflect on the legacy of my father, the greatest aspect is his legacy of peace.
In 1985, I was arrested, along with my mother and brother, Martin III, in a protest against apartheid at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C.
I don't know if you realize this, but anger is anger. It has no mind. It has no rationality. It's mad, and it just wants to destroy.
My father literally fought his entire life to ensure the inclusion of all people because he understood that we were intertwined and connected together in humanity.
I spend a lot of time meditating, which is something that I don't think most people know about me.
Occasionally, in the afternoons, I catch a movie, watch football, go to Sunday brunch, or visit with family and friends.
If people want to criticize me, that's their issue.
Institutionalized racism has been with us pre-Obama, and it obviously will be with us post-Obama.
I believe that everyone, regardless of their beliefs, deserves the dignity of being called by their name.
After acknowledging that most law enforcement personnel are fair-minded and do a difficult job, it only takes one exception to create a terrible tragedy.
Police departments across the nation must develop nonviolent 'rules of engagement,' so that they don't reflexively respond to suspected crimes with violence. This will require more in-depth training in the behavioral psychology of conflict resolution so police have tried-and-true techniques of preventing and de-escalating violence.
Consider all of the possibilities for positive global progress if we utilized nonviolence as the central value of our culture, encompassing our law enforcement and labor practices, which currently include people in numerous nations working for inhumane wages in unhealthy conditions.
Continue to speak out against all forms of injustice to yourselves and others, and you will set a mighty example for your children and for future generations.
Nonviolence will empower and equip us to bring generations to the table and fuse our knowledge, gifts, and zeal together.
In addition to needed gun control reforms, America urgently needs a stronger protest movement dedicated to reducing the glorification of violence in our culture - in music, film, television, video games, and even the Internet.
I am urging Americans to be more careful about the kinds of media we support with our consumer spending. We've got to invest less in the media that glorifies violence and more in entertainment that lifts up the values of love, compassion, and the best in human nature.
Choosing nonviolence does not mean that one will never get angry or become upset with others, including the ones we love.
Nelson Mandela, a better man, not a bitter man, made our world a better place in which to live. His life and leadership exemplify the highest courage, dignity, and dedication to human liberation.
My first introduction to South Africa's struggle for freedom came when I was just 17. I had volunteered to speak in my mother's stead at a United Nations forum on South Africa because she was unable to attend on that occasion.
Don't be afraid of who sits in the White House. God can triumph over Trump.
I know that the absence of my father in my life had its cost.
Some of the aspects of my speaking style are inherited and come naturally to me. I didn't take classes, and I didn't do anything to hone my skills.
Without my ministry, I would just be Martin Luther King's daughter. You know, when people call me that, it doesn't bother me anymore. I know I am not my father. I know I am me.
I wrestled with anger from the age of sixteen. It's still one of my nemeses. I have to remember that the word of God says, 'Be slow to anger.'
I think the most pressing issue in our community is probably a generational divide.
When I think about some of the policies that we make in this country, the policies are so self-driven.
We can put millions of America's idle young people to work helping to repair and restore America's deteriorating infrastructure, public utilities, and transportation systems. Nothing would revitalize the nation's sagging economy more than such a commitment.
It is time for humanity to reset our spiritual compass from self-centeredness to other-centeredness.
Like my father, I believe that nonviolence is the antidote to what he called 'the triple evils of racism, poverty and militarism.' These three evils were consuming our hopes for community in 1964, and, fifty years later, we remain divided because of their festering effects.
Refuse to be disheartened, discouraged, distracted from your goals in life.
