The Children of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King. Originally, he was named "Michael King, Jr.," but after a family trip to Europe in 1934, he was renamed Martin, in honor of the German Protestant, Martin Luther.

King went on to attend Booker T. Washington High School, where he skipped the ninth and the 12th grade, to enter Morehouse College at age 15. In 1948, he graduated from Morehouse with a BA degree in Sociology. He then went on to enroll in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951. At Boston University, King received his Doctor of Philosophy on June 5, 1955.

In between his college years, he met and married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953. They had four children named Yolanda King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice King. These four children grew up realizing their father's dream and carrying on his vision for a better future. Even though he died on April 4, 1968 after being shot, while standing on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, he did not die in vain. This civil rights leader tried to promote change through marches and movements for blacks and poor people. On January 19, 2009, we will celebrate his life and his dream as it continues to live on through his children, through their children, and so on...

Yolanda King was born on November 17, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. She was a human rights activist and an ardent activist for gay right. She was also an American actress. In 1978, she starred as Rosa Parks in the TV miniseries "King." This miniseries was based on her father's life and it was released on DVD in 2005. Ms. King was an alumna of Smith College, where she received a BA degree with honors. She received a Master's degree in theater from New York University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letter from Marywood University. She served on the Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Incorporated and was founding Director of the King Center's Cultural Affairs Program. She was also the first national Ambassador for the American Stroke Association's "Power to End Stroke" Campaign. Sadly, Ms. King died on May 15, 2007. She was 51.

Martin Luther King III was born on October 23, 1957 in Montgomery, Alabama. Raised in Vine City, he served as President-elect of Fulton County, Georgia from 1987 to 1993. He helped to found the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Incorporated. He also played an active part in reforming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Furthermore, King III spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where the 45^th anniversary of Dr King's "I Have a Dream" speech was marked on August 28, 2008. On May 25, 2008, King III and his wife, Andrea, welcomed a baby girl, whom they named Yolanda Renee King, after his late sister, Yolanda King.

Dexter Scott King was born on January 30, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama. He is an actor and a documentary film maker. He acted in "King" in 1978. His television credits include "1-800-Missing, Lost Sister" in 2004; and "The Rosa Parks Story" in 2002. His literary work includes "Growing up King: An Intimate Memoir" in 2003. He also serves as chairman of the King Center. Sadly, his mother, Coretta Scott King, died on his 45^th birthday in 2006.

Bernice Albertine King was born on March 28, 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia. At 17, she was invited to speak at the United Nations. After attending Douglass High School, she graduated from Spelman College with a psychology degree. In 1990, she received a Master's degree in Divinity from the Candler School of Theology and a Juris Doctorate in Law from Emory University School of Law. She also played an active part in reforming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Currently, Ms. King is an elder at New Birth; a licensed attorney and member of the Georgia Bar; and she works as a mediator. One year after her mother's death, Ms. King founded the Be a King Scholarship.

"I Have A Dream." This is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech that was delivered to more than 250,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. This dream is continuing to be realized on January 20, 2009 with the inauguration of the country's 44^th President of the United States, Barack Obama, who is also the first black U. S. President to be appointed in the Oval Office. I guess a dream realized and the need for change just goes hand and hand.