Redstone plans Martin Luther King Jr. observance

By U.S. ArmyFebruary 4, 2013

Dr. Alveda King
Dr. Alveda King is the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the nation's renowned civil rights leaders, a respected lecturer, former college professor, Georgia state legislator from 1979 to 1981, president appointee, author, mentor, songwriter... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The niece of one of the nation's renowned civil rights leaders will be the guest speaker at Team Redstone's observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.

Dr. Alveda King, who has carried on her uncle's legacy as a noted civil rights activist in her own right, will speak Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. in the Sparkman Center's Bob Jones Auditorium.

The "Guardian of the King Family Legacy," King is often in demand for her knowledge and firsthand experience of the 20th century civil rights movement headed by her uncle and supported by her father, Rev. A.D. Williams King. She was born in Atlanta as the oldest of five children. The family was living in Birmingham, where her father was the leader of the Birmingham civil rights campaign, when, at age 12, her family's home was bombed by opponents to the civil rights movement. As a teenager, she was jailed during the Chicago Open Housing Movement (also known as the Chicago Freedom Movement), which occurred from 1965 to 1967.

The Atlanta native and resident is a minister; the pastoral associate for Priests for Life; director of Priests for Life African American Outreach; the voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign; and founder of King for America Inc., a faith-based organization focused on enriching the lives of people spiritually, economically, intellectually and socially.

She is a respected lecturer, former college professor, Georgia state legislator from 1979 to 1981, president appointee, author, mentor, songwriter and actress. She is also a mother of six children, and a grandmother. She has been elected to sit on several boards, including Heartbeat International, Georgia Right to Life, MLK Center, Bible Curriculum in Public Schools and Abortion Recovery International, and she is a member of the National Black Prolife Coalition.

Her bestselling books include "How Can the Dream Survive if We Murder the Children?" and "I Don't Want Your Man, I Want My Own."

King often appears on television and is heard on radio shows across the world. She is a regular contributor for the News Max "Insiders" column. Her media appearances have included CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Huckabee, Beck, Hannity, and other national and global media hosts. She is a 2011 recipient of the Life Prize Award, the Cardinal John O'Connor Pro-Life Hall of Fame Award from the Legatus organization and the Civil Rights Award from Congress of Racial Equality.

The observance is being coordinated by the Army Materiel Command's Equal Opportunity/SHARP Program. Bus transportation will be available from AMC headquarters, Building 4400, to the Sparkman Center beginning at 9:15 a.m. Jan. 24.