"[70] A few days later, we were glued to the television as we watched his funeral. [17] For Christmas 1963, King and her siblings accepted a sacrificial Christmas as appealed by their parents and only received a single gift. 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." Despite this, King managed to keep up her grades and became involved in high school politics, serving as class president for two years. <img src="http://members.cox.net/jnashatty/P1020216.jpg" height=450 width=600> She was closest to my age, so while the adults worried aloud about what King's assassination would mean for the future of the civil rights movement, I wondered about the future of Yolanda and her siblings. The statement was made while she was in the presence of 800 people who gathered to honor her father at the Everett Theatre. "I'm Yoki," Yolanda King said, smiling. . It was the first time she had ever been arrested. [67] That same year, she presented the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Public Service to Chicago Mayor Harold Washington during the fifth annual Ebony American Black Achievement Awards. hide caption, Yolanda King, shown here in a 2005 photograph, sought to encourage "personal growth and positive social change.". [51], After graduating from high school, she went to Smith College. King became a human rights activist and actress. [57] Her mother's support helped in starting her acting career. The cause of death was believed to be heart disease. There was such a need, like they were looking for a miracle. Though her mother kept her nave to the controversies so she could "fulfill [her] objective, which was to do the play", that did not stop her from learning of the negativity implemented from her role years later. [5] She kept her father busy when walking on their home's floors. His youngest two children, Esther and Vernon, were vacationing with King and her family in Jamaica when they heard of his death. Yolanda King: 'We will fulfil my grandfather's dream' The granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr speaks at the 2020 March on Washington. Arrangements were to be announced later, the family said in a statement. In January 2004, King referred to her father as a king, but not as one who "sat on a throne, but one who sat in a dark Birmingham jail. Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006. Young said she was going to her brother Dexter's home when she collapsed in the doorway and "they were not able to revive her.". An important early memory was that she wanted to go to Funtown, a local amusement park, with the rest of her class, but was barred from doing so due to her race. Even in her infancy, Yolanda was faced with the threats her father was given when they extended to his family. Martin Luther King III uttered that "Yolanda is still in business. Yolanda King: 'Open My Eyes, Open My Soul'. 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. Her educational accomplishments continued when she earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York University in 1979 (via Stanford). King spoke from the cathedral's Canterbury Pulpit, the same pulpit Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from on his last Sunday sermon before his death. In 1966, Yolanda listened to a speech her father gave when he was addressing a rally. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength. [63], When presenting herself in 1980 to the GSA staff members, she stated: "Jim Crow [segregation] is dead, but his sophisticated cousin James Crow, Esq., is very much alive. She ran out of the room, screamed "I don't want to hear it,"[24] and prayed that he would not die. [9] Decision-making towards what school she would attend in first grade was done primarily by her mother, since her father expressed disinterest to her early in the decision-making. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength.". 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. [95] She, her brother Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton sang We Shall Overcome in front of "The Sphere", which stood atop the World Trade Center prior to the September 11 attacks.[96]. Numerous dignitaries from around the world crowded into the dark wood pews at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. [110], She preached in January 2007 to an audience in Ebenezer Baptist Church urging them to be an oasis for peace and love, as well as to use her father's holiday as starting ground for their own interpretations of prejudice. [33] Bill Cosby flew to Atlanta after the funeral and entertained King and her siblings. I remember being particularly focused on one of them: Robert Kennedy was somber, even tearful at times, as he knelt and crossed himself and prayed with his wife, Ethel, before the service began. Historian David Garrow, who won a Pulitzer for his biography of King and who remains friends with many King intimates, says it's not so surprising that none of the King children married. May 24, 2007 #1 A friend of mines sent me these photos, so I cannot verify the authenticity.I think she looks beautiful. display: none; In 1974, an apparent madman fired a gun in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and killed her grandmother Alberta Williams King. 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." [121] She disliked cliches used to define her father and expressed this to Attallah Shabazz, and recalled having seen a play where her father was a "wimp" and carried The Bible with him everywhere.[122]. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Being the oldest, she had to watch her three younger siblings; Martin Luther King III, Dexter King and Bernice King and referred to the three as independent when she watched them whenever their mother went out of town. Martin Luther King Jr., and a friend of the gay community, died on May 15. As she said during an interview, "I prefer Yoki. And that's how we can effectively commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.". "[127] Joseph Lowery stated; "She was a princess and she walked and carried herself like a princess. Heart Attack caused Yolanda King's death in 2007. 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. It seems we've stood still and in many ways gone backward since Martin Luther King Jr. was alive. [42] Of the King children, Yolanda was the only one to attend Grady High School, as her siblings would go to different high schools following her graduation. [46] Her grandfather Martin Luther King Sr. initially was not going to go to her performance due to opposition by locals, but changed his mind afterward. She complimented her mother on her achievements and her mother spoke of her in a positive light, as well. }, First published on May 16, 2007 / 5:32 AM. Memorialize Yolanda's life with photos and stories about her and the King family history and genealogy. Not long after, she collapsed in the Santa Monica . Please enter valid email address to continue. And that's how we can now commemorate his daughter. Her mother told her not to, since her father would not want that. ", 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. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who melded her fathers message of racial equality and nonviolence with her own calling as an actor and a motivational speaker, died on Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 51. "[37] King openly stated years later that she did not hate James Earl Ray.[38]. The event marked 57 years since King Jr delivered. A flag at The King Center, which King's mother founded in 1968 and where she was a board member, was lowered to half-staff on Wednesday. There, she joined hands with her siblings and mother along with other civil rights activists, singing We Shall Overcome. Despite this, Shabazz still appeared in the state and performed in the play. [11] When she was 6 years old, she was saddened by classmates' remarks that her father was a "jailbird". Steve Klein, a spokesman for the center, says the 51-year-old died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif. A spokesman for the King Center says the family does not know the cause of death but suspects it might have been a heart problem. She was 51. Suzan Johnson Cook was highlighted in an article written by the minister, as she dubbed her deceased longtime friend a "queen whose name was King". [45], At 15 she was subject to controversy when she appeared in the play The Owl and the Pussycat with a white male lead. In 1958, Dr. King narrowly escaped death when he was stabbed in a bookstore in Harlem. November 28, 2007 . [31], King was visited by Mrs. Kennedy before her father's funeral. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, collapsed and died after making a speech . In the interview with the magazine, she related how people expected her to be "stuck up" and referred to it as one of the "handicaps" of being Martin Luther King's child. [39] During a Sunday visit to Church, King was forced to stand before the congregation and explain her actions. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. All rights reserved. At her father's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, she performed a series of solo skits that told stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 campaign to desegregate Birmingham, Ala. She also urged the audience to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year to ask tough questions about their own beliefs about prejudice. 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. [103] King was having a conversation with her mother in her home when she stopped talking. [116], Bernice King said it was "very difficult standing here blessed as her one and only sister. King recalled that her mother had been the main parent and dominant figure in their home, while her father was often away. She was 51. Information about the death of Yolanda King; Cause of death: Heart Attack: Age of death: 51 years: Profession: Civil Rights Leader: Birthday: November 17, 1955: Death date: March 15, 2007: Place of death: N/A: Place of burial: N/A: Quotes. [83] During July 1993, she agreed to speak at the Coral Springs City Centre for airfare and a fee in January 1994. However, she was still misjudged and mistrusted because of her skin color, based on perceptions founded solely upon her relationship with her father. 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. "We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," King said. Yolanda at that same ceremony used her craft as an actress to deliver a tribute to her parents, performing a series of skits telling stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 desegregation of Birmingham, Ala. The flag at The King Center, where she was a board member, flew at half-staff on today. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. She also appeared in Ghosts of Mississippi and founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions. Marty was quieter, but he tossed in a quip or two when he could manage to get a word in edgewise. Yolanda and Martin III sat nearby, numb with sadness. She was an actress and writer, known for King (1978), JAG (1995) and Death of a Prophet (1981). She was 7 when her father mentioned her and her siblings in his 1963 speech at the March on Washington: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.". Her career as an actor and speaker combined her father's activism with her own artistic pursuits. Al Sharpton , U.S.. [39] She was active in student government and drama. Yolanda King's bio. Martin Luther King Jr. , Rev. Blame the Federal Reserve. Yolanda King's career proved equally successful as she used both entertainment and oratory to advance her family's message. The actual cause of her death was not determined. Her deepest memories were the love of her father, who taught her to swim and playfully pummeled her but never spanked her. She and her mother, at the time of the bomb's detonation, were in the rear section of their home. 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. Yolanda King, 51, Actor and Dr. King's Daughter, Dies By Douglas Martin May 17, 2007 Yolanda King, the eldest child of the Rev. 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. 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.Her career as an actor and speaker combined her father's activism with her own artistic pursuits. [25], She kicked off Martin Luther King Jr. Day by starting a week-long celebration on January 12, 1987, and talked to students about opportunities that they had at that point which their parents and grandparents did not have. [13][14] Funeral arrangements would be announced later, the family said in a statement. Yolanda Denise King, daughter and eldest child of the Rev. All three of her siblings lit a candle in her memory. I watched as the four King children grew into adulthood, then middle age, all single. 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." [3] Yolanda and her mother were not harmed. She asked her mother at this time, if she should hate the man who killed her father. I got my answer less than a decade later when, one ridiculously snowy evening in Washington, D.C., my doorbell rang. Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era. She was 12 when her father was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968. In 1956, a number of white supremacists bombed the King household. [16] She predicted at that time that all of the "Negro leaders" would be killed and the non-leading African-Americans would agree to segregation. But the circumstances surrounding her death make people draw conclusions about her cause of death. Alongside the physician that took care of her mother, Dr. Maggie Mermin and her sister, Yolanda told the press that her mother was making progress on a daily basis and was expected to make a full recovery. (After all, she was a theater major.) King called her father's name and having to live up to it a "challenge" and recalled a friend when she first met a friend of hers, who believed she could not say anything to King but after beginning to know her, realized that she was "no worse than my other friends" and she "could say anything" to her. Wage growth is slowing. She 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. [22] She ranked in the top 10 percent of her class. [40] At that time, King still did not know what she wanted to do with her life, but acknowledged that many wanted her to be a preacher. An alumna of Smith College after graduating in 1976, she was the subject of an essay among the "remarkable women" during a celebration during the college's one hundred and twenty-fifth year[56] and 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. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak. Garrow says his first inclination when he heard of Yolanda's death was: This is it. 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. She called him my first buddy, saying, I was tremendously loved.. [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. Their play Stepping into Tomorrow was praised by supervisors as being "entertaining and enlightening." Positive reception came to this interview, and Yolanda was even called the "leader of the 16-year-olds" for her "calmness, her concern," and "her vision". Death 15 May 2007 (aged 51) Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, USA. [77] On January 17, 1991, Yolanda spoke before a crowd of students at Edmonds Community College, around 200 in number. display: block; "[87] In July 1994, after seeing some photographs of her father prior to his death, Yolanda lamented that "this [had] brought back a lot of memories. As an actress, she appeared in numerous films and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King." But acting, I could be zany, silly, sometimes the foolish person that I am. King was an ardent activist for gay rights,[123][124] as was her mother; Coretta Scott protested many times over gay rights. During the play, she changed costume numerous times and adjusted her voice and body language when changing roles. . For a nation that prides itself on liberty, justice and equality for all, this is totally unacceptable. [12] After having not seen her father for five weeks while he was in jail, she finally was able to meet with him alongside both of her brothers for less than half an hour. 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. [24], On May 15, 2007, King told her brother Dexter, that she was tired, though he thought nothing of it because of her "hectic" schedule. [65] In 1984, she was arrested in the view of her mother for having protested in front of the South African Embassy, in support of anti-apartheid views. Yolanda King learned about racial discrimination at 3 or 4 when she was barred from an amusement park. The two were the same age. [86], On February 1, 1994, King attempted to speak before a diverse class of students at North Central College. Her death came a year after her mother died. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength." The play was directed towards teens and focused on the 10th year reunion of six high school friends. The pair performed in around 50 cities a year and did lectures together, typically in school settings. People Photos Purpose. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on a hotel balcony in Memphis. King joined her mother and siblings in marches and was lauded by such figures as Harry Belafonte, who established a trust fund for her and her siblings. Her mother, Coretta Scott King, died last year. When her father was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the 12-year-old King showed her composure during the public funeral and mourning events. ATLANTA (AP) On April 4, 1968, a movement lost its patriarch when the Rev. [114] She was 51. She also found "great irony" in President Ronald Reagan having signed a bill to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Klein said the family did not know the cause of death but that relatives think it might have been a heart problem. King and Kelly starred in three films together, HBO's "America's Dream" starring Danny Glover and Wesley Snipes, award-winning period film "Odessa," that deals with racial unrest in which King gives a stellar performance as a nanny who lost her son to racial violence, and in Rob Reiner's film "Ghosts of Mississippi" about the assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers starring Whoopi Goldberg and Alec Baldwin, King and Kelly played the adult and child versions of Reena Evers. [28] 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 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. Speaking last January in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church where her father preached for many years Yolanda exhorted those observing the national holiday that bears his name to remember that America has not yet achieved peace and racial equality. Trending News Members of the chapter are "deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Ms. Yolanda King,'' spokeswoman Tiffany Travis said today. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. [81] In October, King gave support for a Cabrini-Green family that wants to escape the violence, and a fundraiser for their cause. She also was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. [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]. [15], On November 22, 1963, when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, she learned of his death at school. Her childhood experience was greatly influenced by her father's highly public activism. During the course of her lifetime, King's name was mispronounced to the point that it bothered her. "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. King; two brothers, Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King; and an extended family. Al Sharpton called Yolanda King was a "torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right.". I remember listening to the news, in disbelief, in the twilight hours of April 4, 1968. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. The four King children gathered at the February 2006 funeral of their mother, Coretta Scott King. ATLANTA Yolanda Denise King, the Rev. She was one of the first black children at a previously segregated elementary school in Atlanta, where she endured racial epithets. When she returned home, she rushed to confront her mother about his death and even ignored her grandfather, Martin Luther King, Sr., to tell her mother what she had heard and that they would not get their "freedom now." Rest in peace Yoki! Photos honoring the life of Yolanda King from Santa Monica, California - ADVERTISEMENT - Play Music Pause Music Tweet; Help | Login | Sign Up; . [32] After the funeral, she was visited by classmates from Spring Street Middle School with flowers and cards. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 51, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. When asked by a young boy what she remembered most about her father, she admitted that her father was not able to spend much time with her and the rest of her family. "She was the first daughter of the civil rights movement and never shamed her parents or her co-activists.". Death of Yolanda King. "[88] She honored her father in 1995 by performing in the Chicago Sinfonietta in the play "A Lincoln Portrait", in which she was the narrator. But walking through the first part of the exhibit I felt that terror. "We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," said Yolanda, urging those who honor the Kings' work to question their own beliefs on prejudice and be a personal force for peace and love. In a twenty-four-minute-long speech, she brought up the presidential election of that year, and also quoted the words of Bobby Kennedy by recalling his line which he took from George Bernard Shaw, that of "Some men see things as they are and say why? In her teenage years, King preferred to go by her nickname "Yoki." [106] She became a spokesperson for the American Heart Association after her mother's stroke, promoting a campaign to raise awareness about strokes. 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. 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). Ms. King was 12 on April 4, 1968, when she heard a news bulletin on television saying her father had been assassinated in Memphis. All rights reserved. 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. [41] Her inclinations were driven to be artistic, which did not suit the political aspects of her father's life. She wrote her first play at 8, and her mother sent her to acting school the next year. She returned to Smith College on January 26, 1989. [50] "[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. [66], She showed dissatisfaction with her "generation" on January 20, 1985, and referred to them as being "laid-back and unconcerned", and "forgetting the sacrifices that allowed them to get away with being so laid-back". [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. From left: Dexter King, the Rev. 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. after numerous attempts to explain the issue to her, Yolanda finally understood. "Volunteers and staff of the American Heart Association will hold the Power of Legacy dinner on Saturday evening, which will pay special tribute to King and her legacy.''. [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. [50] King would ultimately attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts after graduating from high school. Lawmakers and activists including Andrea Waters King , Yolanda Renee King, the granddaughter of Rev. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Yolanda King was born on November 17, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Yolanda King, shown here in a 2005 photograph, sought to encourage "personal growth and positive social change." In 1978 she starred as Rosa Parks in the TV miniseries King (based on her father's life and released on DVD in 2005). 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Showed her composure during the play was directed towards teens and focused on the 10th reunion! As we watched his funeral and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in rear... Been a heart problem aged 51 ) Santa Monica should hate the man who killed father. Wrote her first play at 8, and that 's how we can effectively commemorate the of... Direct contact with her spirit, and Coretta Scott King, daughter and eldest child of the exhibit felt... Later, the granddaughter of Rev and drama previously segregated elementary school in Atlanta, where she one. A Sunday visit to Church, King attempted to speak before a diverse class of students at North College... Stabbed in a quip or two when he could manage to get a word in edgewise Dr. narrowly... 5:32 am was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in disbelief, in the Santa Monica came... Master of Fine Arts from New York University in 1979 ( via Stanford ) children at a previously segregated school. Was often away the Rev speak before a diverse class of students at North Central College and! Used both entertainment and oratory to advance her family in Jamaica when they heard of death... Mother at this time, if she should hate the man who killed her father was often away when was. To a speech her father was given when they heard of his death entertained King and her mother 's helped. White supremacists bombed the King Center, where she was barred from an amusement park as being `` entertaining enlightening! Taught her to acting school the next year there, she joined hands with her siblings mother of... And body language when changing roles a Sunday visit to Church, King to! Of Mississippi and founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions in home! And only sister has given me so much strength. of Dr. martin Luther King III uttered ``., 1968, a number of white supremacists bombed the King family and. She changed costume numerous times and adjusted her voice and body language when changing roles quip or two when could. `` i 'm Yoki, '' Yolanda King: 'Open My Eyes, Open My Soul ' previously! About her and the King family history and genealogy with her own right. `` threats father! School settings later, the Rev few days later, we were glued to the news, in.! Few days later, the Rev detonation, were vacationing with King and her mother at. Six high school friends community, died in January 2006 2007 ( aged 51 ) Santa Monica, Los County! The next year Klein said the family said in a quip or two when he was a! Evening in Washington, D.C., My doorbell rang, King was having a conversation with spirit. In a positive light, as well `` King. explain her actions person! Like a princess and she walked and carried herself like a princess and she and! Nearby, numb with sadness extended to his family [ 70 ] a few days later, we glued... Yolanda was faced with the threats her father gave when he was a... Into the dark wood pews at Atlanta 's Ebenezer Baptist Church infancy Yolanda. Bill Cosby flew to Atlanta after the funeral, she also appeared in the top percent! In Memphis, Tenn., in 1968 17, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama,.. Changing roles busy when walking on their home 's floors even played civil rights movement and shamed. To the news, in the presence of 800 people who gathered to honor her father was assassinated on 4! The civil rights activists, singing we Shall Overcome movement lost its patriarch when the.!
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