Martin Luther King III
Speaker at Slavery Remembrance day 2012
Martin Luther King III is the oldest son of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Mrs Coretta Scott King and is carrying the torch lit by both his parents into the 21st century.
His father Dr King was one of the most important figures of the 20th Century and one of the greatest non-violent leaders in world history. In particular Dr King is known for his advancement of civil rights in America and the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr King’s tireless work in the campaign to fight human injustice ended tragically due to his assassination aged 39 in Memphis in 1968.
Like his father, Mr King is a human rights campaigner and community activist. He is a lifetime member of the Board of Directors and former President and CEO of The King Center| in Atlanta Georgia.
Mr King is currently involved in global humanitarian efforts and voter registration initiatives throughout the United States and abroad.
Slavery Remembrance Day events
As part of the Slavery Remembrance Day 2012 events, Mr King gave the memorial lecture at St George's Hall on Wednesday 22 August. The following day he lead the Walk of Remembrance through Liverpool, before unveiling a plaque to rename the Dock Traffic Office in memory of his father.
A chance encounter
Mr King’s involvement in the Slavery Remembrance Day events in Liverpool came about following a chance meeting thousands of miles away.
Cheryl Magowan, Communities Senior Manager at National Museums Liverpool, was paying her respects at the gravesite of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Mrs Coretta Scott-King at the King Center in Atlanta last year, when she met their eldest son, Mr Martin Luther King III.
Cheryl said:
"It was a powerful moment I’ll never forget, I sat, said a prayer and thought deeply about what the great Dr King did for black people and all of humanity, I looked up and standing in front of me was Mr King and his wife.
Then the King Center’s security guard Kevin, whom I’d made friends with earlier said: ‘Cheryl you’re blessed today, I’d like you to meet the boss man himself, Mr Martin Luther King III, Dr King’s son and his wife’.
I then invited Mr and Mrs King to visit Liverpool, the International Slavery Museum and to take part in Slavery Remembrance Day, which they graciously accepted."