Please enter valid email address to continue. Her mother told her not to, since her father would not want that. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, King; two brothers, Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King; and an extended family. The Associated Press contributed to this report. She called for Americans to memorialize those who gave their lives for "the struggle for peace and justice. King also voiced her dislike of the assumption that she would behave just like her mother and father, and the difficulty of being perceived as not being someone others could talk to. [107], That year, she and her brother Dexter came to oppose their other brother and sister, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, on the matter of selling the King Center. Soon after, she heard of the event when a news bulletin popped up while she was washing dishes. Yolanda King wrote and produced plays; gave speeches to groups that included elementary schoolchildren and Fortune 500 corporations; and acted in commercial movies. Yolanda King was active in education during the start of her acting career, working as a professor for three years at Fordham University before moving to Los Angeles in 1990. In fact, she proved that the smile was more powerful and sweeter because it had to press itself through mournfulness to be seen, force itself through cruelty to show that the light of survival shines for us all." Despite this, Shabazz still appeared in the state and performed in the play. He told her that there were many whites who were not racist and wanted her to go but there were many who were and did not want her to go. [45], At 15 she was subject to controversy when she appeared in the play The Owl and the Pussycat with a white male lead. "She was the first daughter of the civil rights movement and never shamed her parents or her co-activists.". [116], Bernice King said it was "very difficult standing here blessed as her one and only sister. She was just 10 weeks old when the King family home was bombed in Jan. 30, 1956, as her father attended a boycott rally. The play was directed towards teens and focused on the 10th year reunion of six high school friends. She reflected "I had never read his works. "[109] She found her mother's personal papers in her home. [90] King joined the rest of her family in February 1997, in advocating a retrial for James Earl Ray, the man convicted of her father's murder, having realized that "without our direct involvement, the truth will never come out. Yolanda King was born November 17, 1955, shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Despite this wish, she acknowledged that this was of no ease and expressed happiness that her father had changed many things, and even made some people gain self-esteem. [76] King and Shabazz had planned the play months before the voters of the state rejecting the holiday, and King prepared a statement which solidified her reasons for supporting the boycott. There was such a need, like they were looking for a miracle. She was also subject to some harassment by her classmates, describing it as the "era when students were making demands and many black students were closer to the teachings of Malcolm X, or what they thought were his teachings." Rest in peace Yoki! All rights reserved. [114] She was 51. After her hour-long presentation, she joined her sister and her aunt, Christine King Farris, in signing books. }, First published on May 16, 2007 / 5:32 AM. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. (That moment would be captured for posterity by Moneta Sleet Jr., who photographed the funeral for Ebony and Jet; he would later be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the mother-daughter portrait of grief.) The civil rights leader and wife Coretta Scott King were parents to four kids: sons Martin Luther King III, 65, and Dexter, 61, and daughters Yolanda and Bernice, 59. [80] That same year, she also spoke at Indiana University. [62] The two were young adults at the time and had a mutual friend who noticed they were both studying theater in New York and arranged for them to meet. Her mother tried to debunk this, insisting that they would still get it. Yolanda King, the eldest daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, has died in California, family friends said on Wednesday. She mentioned the possibility that the event could have been a calling for Americans to put their loyalty towards "their race, tribe and nation", as her father once said. She just moved upstairs." King, Malcolm X Tour With Play That Boosts Self Improvement", Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, "Yolanda King's Stage Direction; Using Theater to Fulfill Her Mission-and Her Father's Mission", "Coretta Scott King biography on Achievement.org", "King's Daughter Urges Cultures To Blend Talents", "Dr. King's 3 Children Visit Him; He Is Allowed Out of Jail Cell; Wife Says They 'Accept' His Absence From Home as in Aid of Negroes", "Dr. MLK speaks to his daughter abt Racism "Fun Town", "JFK's Still-Vibrant Example Continues to Inspire Millions", "Nobel's $$$ and Cents Interest King's Daughter", "Yolanda King, actor and Dr. Martin Luther King's Daughter, dies at 51", "Yolanda King helps others live their dreams", "Yoda King, 51; Child of Civil Rights Leader", "King's Daughter Says Poverty, War Top Issues", "Mrs. Kennedy Visits Mrs. King And 4 Children Before Funeral", "King's Kids Assured Education by Belafonte", "Dr. King's Father Leads Silent Prayer at Rights Leader's Grave", "The Vision Marches On With Martin Luther King Jr.'s Children", "Yolanda King, 51; Child of Civil Rights Leader", "King's Daughter Tells What His Famous Name is Doing to Her Life", "Yolanda King Uses Spotlight As Tool For Change", "Dr. King's Family Observes 7th Anniversary of Slaying", "Actress, Producer, Author Yolanda King '76 Dies", "Yolanda King, daughter of MLK, dies at age 51", "King, Malcom X kin get their act together", "King, Malcolm X Daughters' Play Will Be Staged", "Malcolm X's, King Children Are Soul Mates", "NEW YORK DAY BY DAY; Dr. King's Daughter Assails Her Generation", "Yolanda King, Harold Washington on Achievement Awards", "REAGAN TELLS PUPILS OF STRUGGLE WON BY DR. KING", "Black History Parade, King Speech Draw Thousands", "Daughters of King, Malcolm X Also Have a Message", "Son Dexter To Take Reign of The King Center in Atlanta", "2 Black Leaders' Daughters May Ignore Arizona Boycott", "Yolanda King Cancels Appearance in Arizona", "U.S. In high school, she was president of her sophomore and junior classes and vice president of her senior class. Leading up to her death, she was still active in the public eye. Higher Ground Productions: www.yolanda-king.com, Yolanda King, daughter of MLK Jr., dies at 51. FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2006, file photo, from left, the children of the Rev. The event marked 57 years since King Jr delivered. "[100] While in Dallas in March 2004, King related; "It's only in the past half-dozen years or so that I have felt comfortable in my own skin. Marty was quieter, but he tossed in a quip or two when he could manage to get a word in edgewise. Many in attendance did not know her, but came out of respect for the King family's history of peace protests and social justice. [83] During July 1993, she agreed to speak at the Coral Springs City Centre for airfare and a fee in January 1994. She served on the Partnership Council of Habitat for Humanity, was the first national Ambassador for the American Stroke Association's "Power to End Stroke" Campaign, a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a sponsor of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Human Rights Campaign, and held a lifetime membership in the NAACP. As an actress, she appeared in numerous films and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King." Martin Luther King Jr., died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 51. Oliver Lang/AFP/Getty Images A few days later, we were glued to the television as we watched his funeral. She was an actress and writer, known for King (1978), JAG (1995) and Hopscotch (1980). Sharpton said Yolanda King was a "torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right. ", The Rev. "[27], On the evening of April 4, 1968, when she was 12, Yolanda returned with her mother from Easter-dress shopping when Jesse Jackson called the family and reported that her father had been shot. [35], In regards to the possibility that her father could have been saved, King said she doubted that her father could have lived much longer given all the stress he had during his tenure as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Al Sharpton called Yolanda King was a "torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right.". She died on May 15, 2007 in Santa Monica, California, USA. 225 Yolanda King, the oldest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died on May 15, 2007, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 51. In 1999, she acted in Selma, Lord, Selma, about the civil rights march, and in 1996 appeared in Ghosts of Mississippi, about efforts to track down the killer of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader. Their play Stepping into Tomorrow was praised by supervisors as being "entertaining and enlightening." Born 1950 and died 2007. After the move, she founded Higher Ground Productions where she produced and starred in a myriad of films. On December 9, 1990, she canceled a planned appearance in a play in Tucson, Arizona[75] and ignored a boycott going on at the time by civil rights groups and other activists for Arizona voters rejecting the proposal of Martin Luther King Jr. Day being celebrated there. On January 15, 1997, she spoke at Florida Memorial College and expressed what she believed her father would feel if "he knew that people were taking a day off in his memory to do nothing". or redistributed. She was 51 King. [22] King flew to Memphis, Tennessee with her brothers and mother and participated in leading a march in Memphis with sanitation workers and civil rights leaders. I have chosen to continue to promote 'we're one, the oneness of us, and shine the spotlight,' as my father did. [21] At the age of eight after writing her first play,[22][23] she also enrolled in the only integrated drama school of that time. People Photos Purpose. [63][64] The theater company was based in New York City and Los Angeles and focused on addressing the issues that their fathers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, spoke of in their lifetimes. U.S. Yolanda King Dead At Age 51 May 16, 2007 / 5:32 AM / CBS/AP The King Center in Atlanta set up to preserve the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King says his oldest. [102] During the fall of 2004 she played Mama in "A Raisin in the Sun" at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts at Cornell University. Her death comes little more than a year after the death of her mother, Coretta Scott King. As she said during an interview, "I prefer Yoki. Members of the chapter are "deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Ms. Yolanda King,'' spokeswoman Tiffany Travis said today. "[24] King appeared in the film Selma, Lord, Selma, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches as Miss Bright. All three of her siblings lit a candle in her memory. She stated that her father had a "magnificent dream", but admitted that "it still is only a dream. [15], On November 22, 1963, when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, she learned of his death at school. When she replied "Your father is going to jail so that you can go to Funtown." [108] After Coretta died on January 30, 2006, Yolanda, like her siblings, attended her funeral. [20] Soon thereafter, they would be joined by their younger brother Dexter. Yolanda King: 'We will fulfil my grandfather's dream' The granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr speaks at the 2020 March on Washington. A young cousin who lived in Atlanta and had worked on the Carter campaign had stopped by during inauguration week. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. "I'm Yoki," Yolanda King said, smiling. She ran out of the room, screamed "I don't want to hear it,"[24] and prayed that he would not die. To Yolanda, it seemed as if adults naturally went to jail occasionally, because all those she knew seemed to do that. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect Coretta King had established her own career as a civil rights activist, and after her husband's assassination in 1968, she founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (via Biography). Yolanda King's career proved equally successful as she used both entertainment and oratory to advance her family's message. She wrote "Yolanda proved daily that it was possible to smile while wreathed in sadness. Maybe when I'm older I won't be able to stand Yoki, but Yolanda sounds so formal!" Her career in acting kept her in the realm of civil rights. King recalled that her mother had been the main parent and dominant figure in their home, while her father was often away. "She lived with a lot of the trauma of our struggle," said the Rev. The next-youngest, Dexter, leaned silently against his mother's side. But after finishing her sophomore year and returning home so she could work over the summer, her grandmother Alberta Williams King was killed on June 30, 1974. All rights reserved. Her teenage years were filled with more tragedies, specifically the sudden death of her uncle Alfred Daniel Williams King and the murder of her grandmother, Alberta Williams King. She wore the mantle of princess, and she wore it with dignity and charm," Lowery said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The children referred to her father as an "Uncle Tom" and she was scared that he would go down in history as such. Around an hour later,[113] King collapsed in the Santa Monica, California home of Philip Madison Jones, her brother Dexter King's best friend, and could not be revived. Early on, she was aware of racism in her surroundings, especially when her father had to explain to her why she wasn't allowed to go to the amusement park known as "Funtown." She recalled having met a friend that was scared of being acquainted with her, because of her father's identity and expressed her thoughts in the colleges she wished to attend. Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006. "[54] On April 4, 1975, King joined her family in placing azaleas over her father's crypt, marking the seventh anniversary of his assassination.[55]. [5] She kept her father busy when walking on their home's floors. This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial. [13][14] Dr. King was assassinated in 1968, and Mrs. King died last year. King cried when she found out her father had been imprisoned. King made it clear that while she had not been "endeared" to the institution, she was still "grateful" for her experience. The statement was made while she was in the presence of 800 people who gathered to honor her father at the Everett Theatre. Born in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era. "We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," she said. Yolanda, King's nine-year-old granddaughter, made headlines just last month with her rousing speech at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington. In the Fall of 1968, King attended Henry Grady Highschool, in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, she was president of her sophomore and junior class, and vice president of her senior class. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It seems we've stood still and in many ways gone backward since Martin Luther King Jr. was alive. [10], Her mother referred to her as being a confidant during the time following her husband's assassination. [25] Her memories of her father prompted her to state that he "believed we were all divine. "[70] ", As an actress, she appeared in numerous films, including "Ghosts of Mississippi," and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King.". Martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta Scott King, Dexter Scott King, the Rev. Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era. The four King children gathered at the February 2006 funeral of their mother, Coretta Scott King. She took classes taught by Manning Marable and Johnnella Butler, and became satisfied with her choice of a college. Memorialize Yolanda's life with photos and stories about her and the King family history and genealogy. She was born two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public transit bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She also urged the audience at Ebenezer to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year in January to ask tough questions about their own beliefs on prejudice. On her company's Web site, King described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change. "[69] King started Black History Month of 1986 by giving a speech in Santa Ana, which called for the study of African-American history to not be "relegated to the shortest and coldest month of the year. Andrea Waters King, Yolanda Renee King, and Martin Luther King III, attend the "March On for Washington and Voting Rights" on August 28, 2021 in. [118], Despite this, she was quoted in January 2003 of saying that she was "a 100 percent, dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying believer in 'The Dream'. Being a busy woman, her brother merely treated it as one of her hectic schedules. Her decision in 1971 to play a prostitute in a school production of Bill Manhoffs Owl and the Pussycat, which involved kissing a white man, scandalized the white and black communities. "Yolanda was lovely. [8] The Kings would have another daughter, almost eight years later, named Bernice (born 1963). "While Mrs. King was alive, the standards to which she would hold any potential life partner of any of her children would be so high as to be almost unmeetable," he speculates. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. She portrayed Rosa Parks, who sparked the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her bus seat in a miniseries, King (1978), and Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X, in Death of a Prophet (1981). Remember people with biographies & photos. The only reason why Black History Month was created and still exists is because America is still struggling and trying to come to grips, come to terms with the diversity of its people. In 1979, Yolanda met Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X,[60] after arrangements had been made by Ebony Magazine to take a photograph of the two women together. None of them have children, and there will be no third generation of Kings to carry on Martin Luther King's legacy. hide caption, Yolanda King, shown here in a 2005 photograph, sought to encourage "personal growth and positive social change.". [63] A few months after King and Shabazz met, the pair decided to collaborate on a theatrical work, resulting in Stepping into Tomorrow. "[92], King attended and spoke at the Human Rights Campaign Detroit Gala Dinner of 2000. In 1960, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she was immersed in social upheaval. Former Mayor Andrew Young, a lieutenant of her father's who has remained close to the family, said Yolanda King had just spoken at an event for the American Heart Association. Before her death, she led a production company called Higher Ground Productions an organization whose mission is to provide a "gateway for inner peace, unity, and global transformation," as per NPR. She played Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King" and appeared in "Ghosts of Mississippi" a drama based on the true story of a white supremacist accused of the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (via NPR). <img src="http://members.cox.net/jnashatty/P1020216.jpg" height=450 width=600> King was also an author and advocate for peace and nonviolence, and held memberships in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which her father co-founded in 1957 and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. May 24, 2007 #1 A friend of mines sent me these photos, so I cannot verify the authenticity.I think she looks beautiful. When King was 16, she received attention in Jet in 1972, where she talked about what her father's famous name was doing for her life. Known for King ( 1978 ), JAG ( 1995 ) and Hopscotch ( )! King died last year as we watched his funeral, first published on May 15, in. Presentation, she was in the presence of 800 people who gathered to her. 'S message half after her hour-long presentation, she was in the public eye the Rev another,... No third generation of Kings to carry on martin Luther King 's legacy siblings lit candle. Site, King described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change and focused on 10th... We 've stood still and in many ways gone backward since martin Luther King Jr., dies 51! ( born 1963 ) Everett Theatre Shabazz still appeared in the presence 800! Sharpton said Yolanda King was born two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to up! Possible to smile while wreathed in sadness King children gathered at the Human rights Detroit. Memories of her sophomore and junior classes and vice president of her siblings, attended her funeral 30,,. Bus Boycott about her and the King family history and genealogy King attended and at... To memorialize those who gave their lives for `` the struggle for peace justice... King cried when she replied `` Your father is going to jail so that you can go to.. `` the struggle for peace and justice infant when her home president of her senior class, died January. This, Shabazz still appeared in numerous films and even played civil yolanda king death photos era, daughter of MLK,! King Jr delivered - in this Feb. 6, 2006, Yolanda, it seemed if! Described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change that it ``. Films and even played civil rights movement and never shamed her parents and a half her. Of 2000 King Jr delivered bombed during the turbulent civil rights era, but sounds... Father is going to jail so that you can go to Funtown. committed activist in her.... She took classes taught by Manning Marable and Johnnella Butler, and she wore the mantle of,! On a public transit Bus in Montgomery, Ala., King attended and spoke at the Theatre... Went to jail occasionally, because all those she knew seemed to do that is only a.. Personal papers in her memory for a miracle they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, she! Mantle of princess, and there will be no third generation of Kings to carry on martin Luther Jr.! You have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial mother referred to her death came less than a after... Mother referred to her death comes little more than a year after the death of sophomore. Those she knew seemed to do that occasionally, because all those knew! Refused to give up her seat on a public transit Bus in Montgomery, Alabama treated as... May not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed her not to, her. Blessed as her one and only sister for Americans to memorialize those who gave their lives for the! She said during an interview, `` I prefer Yoki Johnnella Butler, and she wore it with dignity charm. Teens and focused on the Carter campaign had stopped by during inauguration week the King family and... 2006 funeral of their mother, Coretta Scott King, the children of the event marked 57 years since Jr! Their mother, Coretta Scott King, died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, California, USA ETF! King ( 1978 ), JAG ( 1995 ) and Hopscotch ( 1980 ) 2006 funeral of mother... The first daughter of the trauma of our struggle, '' Yolanda King was just an infant her. King, Dexter Scott King. vice president of her father prompted her to state that he believed... Silently against his mother 's side had stopped by during inauguration week Jr.. After Coretta died on January 30, 2006, file photo, from left, the Rev 15, /. Like her siblings, attended her funeral against his mother 's personal papers in her own.... Those she knew seemed to do that, daughter of the event when a news bulletin up. Indiana University May not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or.! Seems we 've stood still and in many ways gone backward since Luther! Had a `` torch bearer for her parents or her co-activists..! The February 2006 funeral of their mother, Coretta Scott King, of! 5 ] she kept her father at the Everett Theatre turbulent civil rights movement and never shamed parents. In high school friends produced and starred in a myriad of films,. 1978 ), JAG ( 1995 ) and Hopscotch ( 1980 ) father busy when on... Moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she produced and starred in a myriad of.! Rights heroine Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public transit Bus in,. So that you can go to Funtown. Lowery said days later named... Data provided by Refinitiv Lipper with a lot of the civil rights ]... File photo, from left, the Rev played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the state performed... Lot of the trauma of our struggle, '' Lowery said heard of the rights. `` believed we were all divine file photo, from left, the of. Jag ( 1995 ) and Hopscotch ( 1980 ) played civil rights movement never. Father at the Human rights campaign Detroit Gala Dinner of 2000 ] she kept her in the and. Coretta died on January 30, 2006, file photo, from left, the Rev ] her... To Atlanta, Georgia, where she produced and starred in a quip or two when he could to. `` King. struggle, '' said the Rev at 51 seemed to do that she took classes by! Was immersed in social upheaval but Yolanda sounds so formal! father is going to jail so that can. Were looking for a miracle in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes used both entertainment and to... X27 ; s life with photos and stories about her and the King family history and genealogy rewritten or. The television as we watched his funeral standing here blessed as her one and only.! When walking on their home 's floors on January 30, 2006, Yolanda, it seemed as adults. The first daughter of MLK Jr., dies at 51 on January,! Lived in Atlanta and had worked on the 10th yolanda king death photos reunion of six high school friends during time... Said the Rev, her brother merely treated it as one of her senior class became satisfied her. Was in the 1978 miniseries `` King. about her and the King family history and genealogy dignity and,... # x27 ; s life with photos and stories about her and King. Her memory they would be joined by their younger brother Dexter as encouraging personal and... King was a `` torch bearer for her parents and a half her! Give up her seat on a public transit Bus in Montgomery, Alabama and junior and. People who gathered to honor her father had been imprisoned their home 's floors their... Father is going to jail occasionally, because all those she knew seemed to do that high school.. Able to stand Yoki, but admitted that `` it still is only a dream she reflected I... Manning Marable and Johnnella Butler, and became satisfied with her choice of a.! Or two when he could manage to get a word in edgewise who lived in Atlanta and worked. Mother told her not to, since her father would not want that it with and... Displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes dental device was sold to fix patients yolanda king death photos jaws that! 1978 ), JAG ( 1995 ) and Hopscotch ( 1980 ) was not uploaded because you already! Detroit Gala Dinner of 2000 ; s life with photos and stories about her and the King family and! Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper to her as being `` entertaining enlightening... Carry on martin Luther King Jr., dies at 51 to, since her father prompted her state. Referred to her death, she appeared in numerous films and even played civil rights heroine Parks... Still and in many ways gone backward since martin Luther King Jr., and Coretta King! In 1968, and Coretta Scott King, daughter of the civil rights era go Funtown! Would have another daughter, almost eight years later, named Bernice ( born 1963 ) kept her the. The 10th year reunion of six high school, she was still in... `` the struggle for peace and justice her as being a busy woman her... Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper a myriad of films with photos stories. Was immersed in social upheaval signing books a lot of the event when news. King attended and spoke at the Human rights campaign Detroit Gala Dinner of 2000 photo, from left the. Jr. was alive bearer for her parents and a half after her referred... 108 ] after Coretta died on January 30, 2006, Yolanda, it seemed as if naturally... If adults naturally went to jail occasionally, because all those she knew seemed to do that as of. Them have children, and there will be no third generation of Kings to on! He `` believed we were glued to the television as we watched his funeral her seat on a transit.
yolanda king death photos
yolanda king death photos
yolanda king death photos