Most family squabbles are nobody else’s business, but the squabble among the three surviving children of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a different story.
Martin Luther King III and Dexter King are embroiled in a tug of war with their sister Bernice King to sell Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and his personal bible. They have filed suit against Bernice, who has said she will not hand over what she described as “our father’s most prized possessions.”
In a statement, Bernice King says she is “appalled and utterly ashamed” by this “troubling decision.” Especially painful, she noted, is the timing; her brothers informed her of their intent to sell on the day of the national King holiday in January.
Adding insult to injury — the story is front and center now —during Black History Month. And ironically, this year’s focus is Civil Rights in America. This should be a time to learn about the ordinary people who were part of America’s singular social justice movement, a time to understand the extraordinary strategic leadership of Dr. King. But instead, we’re witness to an object lesson about monetizing a legacy.
When Dr. King died in 1968, he left only $5,000 for his family— which then comprised his widow Coretta Scott King and daughter Yolanda, both now deceased. Originally, there was public support for their efforts to protect their father’s estate, but after years of aggressively merchandising his possessions, history professor Jelani Cobb recently told the Associated Press that King’s “legacy under their stewardship has diminished” because the siblings made him a “brand.”
Some eyebrow raising examples:
For too long many of us have been deeply disappointed in this crass salesmanship by the King siblings, but the proposed sale of the Nobel Peace prize medal and personal bible cannot go unchallenged. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is the father of MLK III, Dexter and Bernice, but he was also head of the American family he called the beloved community. And that’s much more than family business; it’s black history.
Callie Crossley is the host of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.
Related links: King’s Kids Diminish His Legacy
