Yolanda Denise King, who was born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., lived virtually her entire life in the maelstrom of the civil rights revolution that her father and mother, Coretta Scott King, helped lead. She stated that her father had a "magnificent dream", but admitted that "it still is only a dream. She occasionally experienced threats to her life, designed to intimidate her parents, and was bullied at school. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun in 1998, Ms. King said acting had liberated her, not least the parts unrelated to her family history. [57] Her mother's support helped in starting her acting career. 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. Her family has speculated that her death was caused by a heart condition. Maya Angelou wrote a tribute to her, which was read during the memorial service. After her hour-long presentation, she joined her sister and her aunt, Christine King Farris, in signing books. King was scheduled to visit Houston this weekend to attend numerous events related to the "Power to End Stroke'' campaign sponsored by the local chapter of the American Heart Association, Houston Gulf Coast Division. It's often hard for young people to understand the fear and terror so many people felt and how bold they were to get involved in the marches. [61] Both were worried that they would not like each other due to their fathers' legacies. She founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions. The actual cause of her death was not determined. A young cousin who lived in Atlanta and had worked on the Carter campaign had stopped by during inauguration week. Neither she nor her mother was injured when the device exploded on the front porch. She was also on the student council. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968, and Mrs. King died last year. There, she gave a speech and made references to her past difficult experiences when first coming to the college. After she suggested that he would most likely give it all away, King laughed with her mother. Trending News Bernice King, Martin Luther King III and Yolanda King participate in a musical tribute to their mother at the new Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Yolanda Renee King declares a call to action to mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday: "Although you may not be old enough to vote, you are the future." Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of civil . There, she joined hands with her siblings and mother along with other civil rights activists, singing We Shall Overcome. King and her brother Martin III bragged about their selflessness at school. King; two brothers, Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King; and an extended family. [18] In 1964, upon learning her father would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, she asked her mother what her father was going to do with the money he was receiving in addition to the award. [48] Despite statements such as these, King did not become aware of the public discomfort with her role until years later, citing her mother's involvement in her knowledge of the criticism.[49]. Martin Luther King Jr. 's eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through acting and motivational speaking, has died. He would be killed a scant three months later by an assassin's bullet. 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. And that's how we can now commemorate his daughter. She wrote her first play at 8, and her mother sent her to acting school the next year. With Elodia Tate, she edited a motivational book emphasizing the importance of diversity. Coretta Scott King began to decline in health after suffering a stroke in August 2005. Summary . Yolanda King was born November 17, 1955, shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn said to King that he "sensed I was in the presence of a great man when I met your father. I watched as the four King children grew into adulthood, then middle age, all single. It seems we've stood still and in many ways gone backward since Martin Luther King Jr. was alive. She died on May 15, 2007 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She was involved in a sibling feud that pitted her and her brother Dexter against their brother Martin Luther King III and sister Bernice King for the sale of the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Garrow says his first inclination when he heard of Yolanda's death was: This is it. When the Associated Press asked how she was dealing with her mother's death, she said(via NPR), "I connected with her spirit so strongly. At the time of the honor, King said that their production company had been approached by organizations seeking to arrange special staging of the play for gang members before May 1, when the show's run would end. Death . ATLANTA Yolanda Denise King, the Rev. "[126] Like her parents and siblings, King did not publicly affiliate with a political party. Martin Luther King III uttered that "Yolanda is still in business. As an actress, she appeared in numerous films and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King." She was one of the first black children at a previously segregated elementary school in Atlanta, where she endured racial epithets. "[37] King openly stated years later that she did not hate James Earl Ray.[38]. Coretta had a blood clot move from her heart and lodge in an artery in her brain. 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. 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In 1966, Yolanda listened to a speech her father gave when he was addressing a rally. At that time, she was also called by Andrea Young, whose own father had insisted that she should. At her father's former Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist, she performed a series of one-actor skits on King Day this year that told stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 desegregation of Birmingham, Ala. She also urged the audience at Ebenezer to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year to ask tough questions about their own beliefs on prejudice. Rest in peace Yoki! "She was an actress, author, producer, advocate for peace and nonviolence, who was known and loved for her motivational and inspirational contributions to society," the King family said in a statement. In the 1990s, she supported a retrial of James Earl Ray and publicly stated that she did not hate him. The children of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott, and Bernice Albertine have each in their own way worked to carry on their parents' work fighting for racial equality and social justice. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica,. Death photos of Yolanda King Seeing Spots May 24, 2007 1 2 Next Seeing Spots Joyful Woman! Wage growth is slowing. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. Anyone can read what you share. However, she was still misjudged and mistrusted because of her skin color, based on perceptions founded solely upon her relationship with her father. Besides her brother Dexter Scott King, Yolanda King is survived by another brother, Martin Luther King III, and her sister, the Rev. Yolanda King was the most visible and outspoken among the Kings' four children during activities honoring this year's Martin Luther King Day in January, the first since Coretta Scott King's death. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who melded her father's. In her teenage years, King preferred to go by her nickname "Yoki." 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." Despite this, King managed to keep up her grades and became involved in high school politics, serving as class president for two years. Her career as an actor and speaker combined her father's. 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. She became an actress, ran a production company and appeared in numerous films, including "Ghosts of Mississippi," and as Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King.". Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006. Like Jackie Kennedy before her, Coretta Scott King sat still and composed as all around her wept. In 1978 she starred as Rosa Parks in the TV miniseries King (based on her father's life and released on DVD in 2005). November 28, 2007 . Her career as an actor and speaker combined her father's activism with her own artistic pursuits. Davis said Houston heart association officials have received no specific information on the cause of King's death but added that King had a family history of heart disease and stroke. , Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them...., Christine King Farris, in signing books siblings and mother along other. 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