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NEWS ABOUT: Martin Luther King Jr.

Warren to Keynote MLK Service

One day before controversial inauguration address

(Newser) - Just a day before he makes his appearance at Barack Obama’s inauguration, Rick Warren will give the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Jr memorial service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, King's former home in Atlanta, the OC Register reports. While Obama has taken heat from gay marriage... More »

Belafonte, Sotheby's Cancel MLK Auction

King estate disputes ownership of papers

(Newser) - Sotheby's has canceled the auction of three Martin Luther King documents amid an ongoing feud between their owner—Harry Belafonte—and the King estate, the New York Times reports. MLK's heirs contend that Belafonte is not the rightful owner of the papers, which include an important King speech on Vietnam... More »

45 Years Later, JFK Theories Live On

New book on JFK assassination offers new ideas, little proof

(Newser) - In the canon of great conspiracy theories, the JFK assassination remains unquestionably king. The enduring national mystery has given rise to some of the most complicated explanations, and the theory offered by a new book is one of the more pleasingly convoluted, reports Vanity Fair in a look at Legacy ... More »

King Family Wants Cut of Obama-King Souvenir Cash

The dream may be passed down, but not the brand

(AP) - The family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is demanding a share of the proceeds from the sudden wave of T-shirts, posters, and other merch pairing the civil rights leader with Barack Obama, the AP reports. Obama may have inherited the dream, but they own the brand, says the... More »

MLK's Kids Fight Over Letters

Judge orders Bernice to bring unpublished papers to court

(Newser) - Legal battles among Martin Luther King Jr's children drag on, this time over who gets mom and dad's unpublished correspondence. Yesterday, a judge ordered youngest daughter Bernice, the administrator of Coretta Scott King's estate, to bring to court letters and photos that sit at the heart of a disputed $1.... More »

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight

Voting Rights Act paved the way for Obama's candidacy, writes Caro

(Newser) - As Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination tonight, author Robert A. Caro will be remembering another speech: Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address to Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that speech, which reduced Martin Luther King to tears, LBJ "adopted the great anthem of the civil... More »

MLK Children: Lawsuit Defends Dad's Legacy

Accusations fly as estranged siblings take dispute public

(Newser) - Martin Luther King's children are blaming each other for the uncharacteristically public standoff that led two of them to sue the third over management of their father's estate, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The deaths of the family peacekeepers, mother Coretta and sister Yolanda, helped expose the rift. "Strong parents... More »

MLK Children Fight Over Estate

Family dispute over civil rights hero's estate goes public

(Newser) - Two of Martin Luther King Jr.'s three surviving children are taking their brother to court, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Bernice and Martin King III say Dexter, president of the corporation that oversees the civil rights hero's intellectual property rights, has mishandled company funds and wrongfully taken money from their... More »

MLK's FIrst Grandchild Born

Yolanda Renee born to Martin Luther King III and wife

(Newser) - The first grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr. was born yesterday morning in Atlanta to Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Yolanda Renee King is named after the civil rights leader's oldest child, who died last year. Baby Yolanda and mom are... More »

Panel Rips MLK Statue, Says He Looks Like a Dictator

Fed commission calls 28-foot sculpture too much like totalitarian art

(Newser) - A federal arts panel is demanding changes to a colossal statue of Martin Luther King Jr. planned for the heart of Washington because commissioners think King looks too "confrontational," almost like a dictator, reports the Washington Post. The 28-foot-tall statue is to be the centerpiece of a 4-acre... More »

As Cities Burned, James Brown Saved Boston

Documentary recalls unrest that followed King assassination

(Newser) - In the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, riots raged in many American cities. In Boston, where there had been unrest on the night of April 4, officials worried about the fallout of a James Brown concert scheduled for April 5 at a downtown arena. A new documentary... More »

Not an Icon, a Man

Would civil rights legend be controversial in today's political climate?

(Newser) - On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Washington Post looks past the legend at the multidimensional figure scholars and King's associates consider his true legacy. ”His challenge was much bigger than being nice," says historian Taylor Branch. "It was even bigger than race.... More »

McCain Deems 1983 Vote Against MLK Day a 'Mistake'

Events marking 40th anniversary of civil-rights leader's death also draw Dems

(Newser) - John McCain apologized today for his 1983 Senate vote against a federal Martin Luther King holiday. Standing at the Memphis site where King was assassinated in 1968, McCain called his nay vote “a mistake,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports; McCain later voted for a state holiday in Arizona.... More »

Obama, Wright Echo Early, Late MLK

Barack's pastor sounds like King near the end of his life

(Newser) - Barack Obama can easily be compared to the early Martin Luther King and his hopeful message of change prior to 1965, writes Michael Eric Dyson in the Los Angeles Times. But  it's Jeremiah Wright who most resembles King after that—when his message grew "angrier" and increasingly skeptical of... More »

Jackson Recalls MLK, Targets Urban Youth

New initiative launched at site of King's final speech

(Newser) - Jesse Jackson was outside the Lorraine Motel when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, 40 years ago today, and the sound of the gunshot still echoes in his memory. Jackson talks with the Chicago Sun-Times about that day, and how race relations have "detoxified"  in the ensuing years.... More »

MLK Son: We Need Cabinet Post for Poverty

40 years later, much work remains, he says

(Newser) - The son of Martin Luther King says the nation can best commemorate the 40th anniversary of his father's assassination by taking concrete action to fight poverty. In an essay in the  Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Martin Luther King III called on the presidential candidates to commit to creating a Cabinet position, one... More »

King Would Relish Today's Challenges

40 years after civil-rights leader's death, Jesse Jackson finds message undimmed

(Newser) - With tomorrow marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Rev. Jesse Jackson pens an appreciation for the New York Daily News. Jackson worked with the civil-rights giant in 1968 on King's last, tragically unfulfilled project, the Poor People’s Campaign. "He'd keep on dreaming and... More »

Women Gather to Promote Peace

Reps from 45 nations discuss using 'compassion' against war

(Newser) - Female community leaders from 45 nations—many of them embroiled in conflicts—are meeting at a unique week-long peace conference in India called "Making Way for the Feminine." The participants represent a religiously diverse group seeking ways for women to play a more prominent role in resolving conflicts... More »

Don't Know Much About History...

US teens have big holes in history, lit education: study

(Newser) - US teens know little history and less literature, says a study out today. Only 52% of 17-year-olds could name the theme of George Orwell's 1984, and 43% knew when the Civil War was fought. Students faired far better on topics that schools cover, however, such as Pearl Harbor and Martin... More »

For Obama Faithful, Fears Cloud Hopes

Evoking memories of King, Kennedys stirs anxieties over safety

(Newser) - "Stop worrying," Barack Obama tells supporters. “I've got the best protection in the world.” But they're worrying anyway: Even as supporters have watched their candidate rocket from longshot to frontrunner, their anxieties about a possible assassination attempt have grown, the New York Times reports. “Some... More »

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