Yolanda King

May 16, 2007 6:23 AM

Yolanda King, daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 51
posted by BostonJake (27 comments total)

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posted by Faint of Butt at 6:30 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by chunking express at 6:42 AM on May 16, 2007

That's Yolanda in the bonnet.
posted by pracowity at 6:44 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by grubi at 6:44 AM on May 16, 2007

at least she outlived Falwell.

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posted by pruner at 6:44 AM on May 16, 2007 [2 favorites]

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posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:06 AM on May 16, 2007

I'm glad she got to see the end of a man who called her father insincere, part of a communist plot to undermine our values, and a leader of the "civil wrongs movement," because God wanted us to keep the races separate.

I don't know her work, I admit, but if she was anything like her father, who used religion to bring us together, instead of, (like so many who feel they can tell us what God does and doesn't hate,) an excuse to tear us apart, she well deserves our respect.

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posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 7:07 AM on May 16, 2007

who?
posted by found missing at 7:17 AM on May 16, 2007

Yolanda King, daughter of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 51

And? I don't mean to be a dick but... does the death of everyone related to someone famous get an FPP? I'm sure she was a fine person and all but plenty of nice people die every day. Like 4 year old Jasmine Owens who was shot in the head and killed Monday night. I'm pretty sure Jasmine wasn't related to any famous civil rights leaders but her death is a blow none the less.
posted by MikeMc at 7:20 AM on May 16, 2007 [2 favorites]

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posted by perilous at 7:29 AM on May 16, 2007

I don't know her work, I admit, but if she was anything like her father, who used religion to bring us together, instead of, (like so many who feel they can tell us what God does and doesn't hate,) an excuse to tear us apart, she well deserves our respect.

I always found her to be a very interesting figure in the civil rights movement. She inherited her fathers legacy but refused to let anyone think for her on any issue including religion. She was a peaceful, classy lady and she will be missed.
posted by BostonJake at 7:29 AM on May 16, 2007

And a separate post for Jasmine Owens, because she was just as important. Yolanda would have said so herself, and wanted it this way, and Jasmine's death was far more tragic.

For all the nameless, faceless, innocent bystanders the media is not interested in, but whose losses are just as great: these are the people, after all, Dr. King himself championed, and whom his wife and daughter embraced themselves in his legacy and as civil rights champions in their own right.

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posted by perilous at 7:34 AM on May 16, 2007

I'm sorry to hear she died so young. Regarding the schism in the King family, I've always thought she and Coretta Scott King had incredible integrity.

"Acknowledge that while we've made progress, there's so much work to be done.”
--Yolanda King

Ditto, BostonJake.
posted by Tehanu at 7:34 AM on May 16, 2007

A little about Yolanda King at Wikipedia.

She "was a human rights worker and actress. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (the official national memorial to her father) and was founding Director of the King Center's Cultural Affairs Program. She served on the Partnership Council of Habitat for Humanity, was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a sponsor of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and held a lifetime membership in the NAACP."

YT video of Yolanda King paying tribute to her father.

YT Video:" the sons, daughters and grandchildren of some of the 20th century's most inspirational political and civil rights leaders came together for the first time in London in 2002 as speakers at the Mayor of London's Black History Month. Speakers included Atallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, Yolanda King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Zinzi Mandela, daughter of Nelson Mandela, Tashar Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Gorkeh Nkrumah, son of Kwame Nkrumah."

Condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace.
posted by nickyskye at 7:35 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by Webbster at 8:19 AM on May 16, 2007

Normally this might not be FPP worthy, but it's worth a mention given that St. Peter will probably want to cleanse his palate after yesterday's bad egg.
posted by jimmythefish at 8:32 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by jimmythefish at 8:32 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by amberglow at 8:42 AM on May 16, 2007

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posted by LinusMines at 9:00 AM on May 16, 2007

They do die in threes. First there was the pathetic wretch, Kurt Vonnegut. Then, Jerry Falwell. Now this. Really makes you wonder.
posted by found missing at 9:35 AM on May 16, 2007

May she rest in peace. Why there is petty carping about her getting an FPP is a question that only the inscrutable Oracles of Mefi can answer.
posted by blucevalo at 9:55 AM on May 16, 2007

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(they don't die in threes. that's a myth. okthxby)
posted by ZachsMind at 10:07 AM on May 16, 2007

on Yolanda's support for equality for all
posted by amberglow at 4:34 PM on May 16, 2007

Its the good ones who die young. Her sister Bernice, still alive, is a vile homobigot.

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posted by sotonohito at 5:27 PM on May 16, 2007

yup, soto. Thankfully we had Yolanda and Mrs. King as strong voices carrying on his legacy.
posted by amberglow at 5:31 PM on May 16, 2007

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I remember she came to speak when I was at the Iowa Writer's workshop.
posted by brujita at 10:35 PM on May 16, 2007

I heard her speak in India in 2003. What a dynamic woman!

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posted by jaruwaan at 11:33 AM on May 17, 2007