Today, we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a shining example of the G.I.R.L. Agenda in action; he fought fearlessly for the rights of American citizens, and did his part in ensuring he raised civically engaged children, as well. Now, at a time where more girls of all ages are championing real change, we honor the legacy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leaves behind, through the eyes of his son, Martin Luther King, III. Without a doubt, Dr. King was man enough to be a Girl Scout.
“He was just Dad to us,” recalls Mr. King with a smile. Though just ten years old when his father was killed, Mr. King vividly remembers the man behind the marches and demonstrations. He was the simple, loving father who put his children on top of the refrigerator and let them jump into his arms.
“He was always on the road, so what was important for all of us was the quality of time spent, because he didn’t have a large quantity. When we started competing in organized sports, Dad wasn’t able to come to our football, soccer, or basketball games, but he’d always play with us when he’d come home. Many days he’d come home from the office or out of town, and we’d be in the front yard playing. He’d jump right in and join the game.”
When he wasn’t playing in the front yard, Dr. King brought his children along to the local YMCA, where he’d spend hours swimming and getting a massage. That was his primary form of exercise, so of course, he taught his children to swim during the weeks spent regularly visiting the gym. But perhaps the most glaring example of the type of father Dr. King was came in the early 60s, when his children decided they wanted to visit the amusement park they’d pass during car rides to and from the airport.
“There was an amusement park called FunTown, and we’d drive by every time we took Dad to the airport, which seemed like every day,” recounts Mr. King. “It was difficult to see kids eating cotton candy and riding the roller coasters, bumper cars, and Ferris wheel, but as Black children, we weren’t allowed to go. Every time we asked our mom, she’d say, ‘Your dad’s working on that.’”
And he did. Around 1963, the King family visited FunTown for the first time, an occasion so joyous the children forgot they were once banned from ever entering. Dr. King stayed with his children every step of the way, enjoying every rollercoaster in the park.
To innocent children shielded from the gravity of Civil Rights struggles, admission into FunTown was the ultimate victory for desegregation efforts.
“It was the most wonderful experience of my life,” beams Mr. King.
Such discussions were necessary; yes, the King children needed to understand why Daddy spent so many nights away from home, but they also needed context behind the vitriol spewed over telephone lines.
“My mom did an excellent job of shielding us as well as she could,” he remembers of Mrs. King.
In fact, the naive King children knew so little about their father’s prominence that they’d play on the phone when strangers from a mysterious “White House” called their home. Despite how brutal conditions remained outside their doors, and despite how difficult the road remained for Dr. King and his team, Mrs. King made it her mission to protect her children’s innocence at all costs.
On April 4, 1968, that protective shield shattered, and life as the King family knew it would be forever changed. While watching TV one evening, Mr. King and his siblings learned that their father had just been shot.
“One of the greatest traumatic experiences I had was in ’68 when Dad was killed,” he says somberly. “It came across the news: MLK Has Just Been Shot. We were panicked, and ran to my parents’ room to see what was going on. My mom received a call from [Andrew] Young and Jesse Jackson; they said, ‘It’s bad; you might want to come here,’ so she was preparing to go to Memphis. When she got to the airport, the Mayor of Atlanta approached her, and she knew that whatever he was coming to share wasn’t positive. He told her that my father had passed.”
Mrs. King returned home to her children and comforted them with words that remain forever engraved in Mr. King’s memory.
“Your father has gone home to live with God,” she explained with strength in her voice. “When servants of God serve him like your father did, God brings them home to rest. So when you see him, he’ll seem as though he’s sleeping, but he won’t be able to kiss and hug you as he always did. He’s resting, and one day we’ll see him again.”
Mr. King recalls how consoling and comforting her words were in that harrowing moment. He didn’t ask a single question.
Mr. King recalls how consoling and comforting her words were in that harrowing moment. He didn’t ask a single question.
Today, he remains dedicated to achieving his father’s dream, and knows that the society of freedom, justice, and equality is still a tangible goal, and one we’re slowing working our way to.
Mr. King closes with his father’s words: “Cowardice asks, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks, ‘Is it right?’ Allow conscience to be your guide. Be ashamed to die until you’ve won a victory for humanity.”
This interview was conducted by Janna M. Hall and was adapted from a piece that originally appeared in Urban Views RVA.
