I HAVE A DREAM: Interview with Martin Luther King III, Arndrea King and 12-Year-Old Yolanda Renee King on Family, Love, Activism and Their Dreams
DMI Staff
“I have decided to stick with LOVE, hate is too great a burden to bear” – Martin Luther King Jr.
More than half a century since the assassination of legendary civil rights icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Georgina Lara Booth sat down to interview his global human rights leader son and daughter-in-law – Martin Luther King III and Arndrea King (the “First Lady” of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change) – and their adorable 12-year-old daughter and activist Yolanda Renee King who is the only grandchild of MLK Jr.
Pure love and joy are some of the best words to describe this beautiful, close-knit, eloquent and immensely inspirational family of global human rights leaders.
In this interview – including a video interview – the King family discuss their family, love, the life of Martin Luther King Jr and his fight for equal pay, civil rights activism, gender equality, women’s rights and the strong women who have made an enormous positive impact on Martin’s life, The Drum Major Institute for Peace, Justice and Equality, American politics and whether they would run for Presidency, the past year of a global COVID-19 pandemic and protests, MLK Jr’s famous “I Have A Dream Speech” and their own dreams for the next generation.
“More than half a century since dad was assassinated, what kind of world do we have or do we want to have?” – Martin Luther King III
Hi Martin, what was it like growing up knowing how iconic your father is and how much his life has impacted the world?
Martin III: “I can’t honestly say that as a child I consciously understood who dad was. Subconsciously, I certainly understood, because the things we saw and did in our lives were normal activities for us. He would bring people home – sometimes it was reporters to do interviews, sometimes it was people like John Lewis, Stokely Carmichael and other students…every now and then it would be popular entertainers like Harry Belafonte, so there were many different people in and out of our home over the years, but we didn’t necessarily see that as really who dad was as a human and civil rights global leader.
I was 10-years-old when dad was killed, so he was like our playmate in a sense. Mom was the disciplinarian, because Dad was travelling all the time. When he came home, his primary objective he felt was devoted to satisfying his four children, so we played baseball and football in the front yard. My brother and I went to the YMCA to swim with him and every week – once or twice – he would go to the YMCA to get exercise and we would accompany him. He taught us how to swim, we would ride bicycles on occasions on the weekends, so I definitely don’t think I consciously knew I would say at the time of his funeral – we call it a “home going service” – which was April 9th 1968 – 53 years ago by that time – I think it was becoming clear, because every person who was running for President of the United States at that time came to pay their respects.
The Kennedy family – including Robert Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Jackie Onassis and Senator Edward Kennedy – all came to our home. Richard Nixon, who became President, came to our home – he was Vice President of the United States at the time. Hubert Humphrey came to the ceremony. Nelson Rockefeller, who was the Governor of New York, came to pay his respects and many, many others. Many of the top prominent entertainers and athletes of the day came, for example Aretha Franklin who was close to Dad – along with her father Rev. Dr. C.L. Franklin and just many, many more. Obviously Harry Belafonte was very close to Dad, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis and a number of other entertainers as well. So, at that particular moment I am sure I was realising how much impact dad made – along with the countless thousands of people who understood the movement and respected Dad and they all came to pay their respects.”
“If I woke up every day trying to be Martin Luther King, I would fail miserably, so I was thankful that mom raised me in a way of liberation, so that I could choose to be the best Martin in whatever that was.” – Martin Luther King III
What does it mean to you to carry the same name as your father, which is probably one of the most iconic names of all time?
Martin III: “I have always looked at it as a true blessing and an honour. You can look at something as a blessing or you can choose to look at something as a burden. I have to say I think my mother sort of helped liberate me as a child, because she used to say to me that “you don’t have to go to Morehouse College as your father did”, although I did go to Morehouse College, and “you don’t have to be a Minister as your father was” – I have not been called to the Ministry. “You don’t have to be a Civil Rights leader as your father was”, but I have engaged in Civil and Human Rights activities, but she told me just be your best self whatever that is and that she would support me. Now that was liberating, because if I woke up every day trying to be Martin Luther King, I would fail miserably, so I was thankful that mom raised me in a way of liberation, so that I could choose to be the best Martin in whatever that was.
I ran for public office some years back and served for seven years in public office. Dad never ran for public office, although he supported policies that public officials passed, so I have been able to walk in my own footprints and continue the work that he and my mother started. My mother was very much a partner in Dad’s life and I’m thankful that I was blessed to marry a woman who I am able to work with, who not just supports us, but lifts Yolanda and I up all the time. I don’t think either of us could do what we do without my wife Arndrea who carries a lot of weight in a real sense, so I feel so grateful and it is such a blessing to have a wife and partner like Arndrea. It keeps me on the straight and narrow in a real sense because the work that we do – I am the Chairman of the Drum Major Institute, which was founded by my father. Our major task is to rid the world of the triple evils that my father and my mother throughout her life talked about: those are the evils of poverty, racism and violence. We believe the values of peace, justice and equity help us to eradicate those triple evils, which are so massive – not one organisation will be able to achieve this. It is a collective of millions and millions of people and organisations that we want to partner with to create the climate for Dad’s dream to be realised.”
“I think my father would be greatly disappointed in the progress. It feels like we have not made the kind of progress that we should – greatly disappointed. But he would also be just as excited about the fact that there are a lot of young people who are engaged in all kinds of movements.” – Martin Luther King III
That is beautifully put. Getting to all of those themes…this past year has been extremely difficult for many people worldwide due to Covid, but also because of the Black Lives Matter protests due to police brutality and the prominent murders of African Americans – such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. What do you think your father would have said about this past year of protests? Especially as it is now more than half a century down the line. How do you think the US has progressed since your father’s death?
Martin III: “I think my father would be greatly disappointed in the progress. It feels like we have not made the kind of progress that we should – greatly disappointed. But he would also be just as excited about the fact that there are a lot of young people who are engaged in all kinds of movements – from Black Lives Matter to the Me Too-movement to the Parkland students. He would obviously be extraordinarily proud of his granddaughter Yolanda Renee, because she is an activist in her own right – a social justice activist and this is not something that Arndrea and I have pushed on her. This is something that was placed in her heart as a child. I remember at about two or three-years-old, she began to realise there were people on our streets that were homeless and she has wanted to do something about homelessness and poverty. She participated in the March for our Lives demonstration and it was not something that she came to after kids were killed or because kids were killed exclusively in Parkland, Florida at Douglas Stoneham High School. It was before then, in 2016, we were invited to the White House by the Obama Administration to see the bust of my Dad that is in the Oval Office. We told Yolanda “you need to come up with a question for the President”. This was before the Douglas Stoneham High School tragedy and her question to the President was “what are you going to do about the guns and gun violence in our society?”, so she already in her own mind was thinking about this. Arndrea was attempting to suggest when we went to the March for our Lives before the actual demonstration and that day that she was going to be able to speak. We were going to go as a family, because we supported the issue and Yolanda told her mother “I know what I am going to say. I don’t need your help.”
“When I listen to it and hear it, it brings tears to my eyes, because it does something to your heart. When I listen and I hear it, it evokes emotion as one of the greatest speeches ever delivered…Certainly one of the greatest speeches delivered of all time, so he was there for me, but I also look at him as this incredible human being that had to be touched by God.” – Martin Luther King III
Your father has done the most iconic speech of all time, the “I have a dream speech“,what do you remember of the time he gave that speech?
Martin III: “I was not there in 1963 as I would have been five or six, so I am sure we watched it on TV. I honestly don’t remember that, but I have heard the speech so many times in terms of presentations and anniversaries. It has been many, many years now since he delivered that speech, but almost every time I listen to it and hear it I can almost recite it by heart. When I listen to it and hear it, it brings tears to my eyes, because it does something to your heart. When I listen and I hear it, it evokes emotion as one of the greatest speeches ever delivered. It is melodious. It is like a song, a song of liberation to people who have been mistreated for a long time, but yet it gives you a sense of hope. A feeling that change can occur, so it is magnificent. Certainly one of the greatest speeches delivered of all time, so he was there for me, but I also look at him as this incredible human being that had to be touched by God. He was on a mission and he was prophetic in his messages.
If you listen to his speeches today, you can’t tell when they were delivered other than the fact that he might use the word “negro”. There are speeches where he uses the word “black” and you may think “wow, that was yesterday, not 60 years ago”, so again it is prophetic, profound, beyond moving, lifting up people and he took the major documents that the Founding Fathers created – whether it was the Constitution or The Declaration of Independence – and he took those words and he used them in such a way that it would represent all people. He was remarkable in putting that language together in such a way so that it is like a symphony.
I don’t remember speaking to him about that speech in particular, there were sermons that he did many Sundays and I may have asked him a question or two about a sermon, but I don’t remember having a conversation about “I Have A Dream” with him.”
Did you see him prepare the “I Have A Dream” speech at home or do you have any memories about things like that?
Martin: “No, because he did many iterations of the speech, which most people don’t know…In August 1963, the finishing touches of the speech were done in Washington at the Willard Hotel, but he had done an iteration of the “I Have A Dream” speech in Detroit back in June of that year when there was a March where more than 100.000 people marched down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. He did the first iteration back in the late fifties in Montgomery, so this speech developed over time, but I did not necessarily physically see him and know that he had been writing that particular speech. He did do some of the work in our home in the study. There was a study in the back of our home that was right next to our mother and father’s room where he would go. There were all kinds of bibles and historical books and often times on Saturday evenings, he would be preparing his sermons for Sunday mornings, so I was aware of that. I would have to be quiet. I don’t remember interacting, because it was quiet time and he would prepare.”
Did you see him prepare the “I Have A Dream” speech at home or do you have any memories about things like that?
Martin: “No, because he did many iterations of the speech, which most people don’t know…In August 1963, the finishing touches of the speech were done in Washington at the Willard Hotel, but he had done an iteration of the “I Have A Dream” speech in Detroit back in June of that year when there was a March where more than 100.000 people marched down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. He did the first iteration back in the late fifties in Montgomery, so this speech developed over time, but I did not necessarily physically see him and know that he had been writing that particular speech. He did do some of the work in our home in the study. There was a study in the back of our home that was right next to our mother and father’s room where he would go. There were all kinds of bibles and historical books and often times on Saturday evenings, he would be preparing his sermons for Sunday mornings, so I was aware of that. I would have to be quiet. I don’t remember interacting, because it was quiet time and he would prepare.”
So picking up on all of the work that you do and the importance that it serves in this world – the George Floyd murder trial recently began against the accused police officer. As the son of the most iconic African American activist of all time, what would you say to those policemen who are accused of police brutality against African Americans today?
Martin: “Number one, I would say, is that in the United States and across the world, policemen have to be held accountable for what they do and how they conduct themselves. Often times, policemen come from communities where they don’t live, so when you live in a community and you know the community, people know you and then maybe you treat people in a different way. The hope is, even though your job is to protect and serve, the whole world saw what this officer did to George Floyd was not protecting and serving, but he was the judge, the jury and the executioner all in one. So tragically, this man put his knee on the neck of a man who was calling for his mother and yet this officer had no humanity. Policemen we all need from time to time, but we want policemen to be in the vein of serving the community – not coming to impart harm on the community. There used to be a way to apprehend suspects without killing them. Unfortunately in the black community and the brown community and communities of colour, often times when police apprehend suspects, it becomes fatal for the African American community. Very rarely are those officers held accountable. In this trial, it is my hope that this officer is held accountable and prosecuted to the maximum degree of the law and I hope it is the outcome because we all saw this happen.”
Arndrea: “You said that we all saw it and I think – also to expand on everything Martin said – I would also add that now that we saw that, what do we do with that? We are all waiting to see what happens in the Court of Law, but last year that single act of murder was the tinder that lit a fire on a global movement. There was not one continent where there was not some form of protest based on George Floyd. I think that from all of the signs I have seen over the numerous days and over all of the continents, the one that resonated so deeply with me was the sign of a woman held up to say that when George Floyd called for his mother, all mothers were summoned and that to me indicated that the mothering spirit that is in all of us and that is in the very ethers that all of us abide. That was a watershed moment when that calling came to all of us. Now the question for all of us – each of us individually and all of us as a society – is now that we have seen that, what are we going to do? What is our part in creating a beloved community? What is our part in dismantling systemic racism? What is our part in standing for peace, justice and equity? What is our part in protecting children? What is our part in solving all of these issues that perhaps for whatever reason a lot of people were uninformed and unseen, but now that you have seen it, what can we do about it? I think there are so many good people out there, so many activists so many young people that are really utilising our voices and being activated in ways we haven’t seen in decades and I really firmly believe that this is really the beginning of something monumental. We are really at the beginning stages of the phase that Martin’s father talked about – that the first phase of the movement in America would be for civil rights, second would be for genuine equality and I believe that is where we are in our nation in the US and all around the world.”
“From all of the signs I have seen over all of the continents, the one that resonated so deeply with me was the sign of a woman held up to say that “when George Floyd called for his mother, all mothers were summoned” and that to me indicated that the mothering spirit that is in all of us and that is in the very ethers that all of us abide.” – Arndrea King
If you could implement a law today, what law would that be? What would you say is really needed in legislation today?
Martin: “I don’t know if I could manifest it in one law. I think there is a Bill in the United States Senate that helps to mitigate what these legislators voted for in Georgia, which is called H.R.1/S.1. It already passed in the House. Hopefully it also passes in the Senate. That Bill will overshadow the things that they have done. I don’t know if the support is there in the United States, because it is 50/50 between the Democrats and the Republicans. The Vice President breaks the tie, but there is also the standard called the ‘filibuster’ where you must have 60 senators who will support legislation for the pass. I am sure there are not 60 senators who will support it, so I am very concerned about that. Then there is the John Lewis Voter Registration Act that would help, but I am not convinced it will pass either. Maybe it will, I do not know, but that would be the two pieces of legislation that I would hope they would pass at the Federal level, but not so much invalidate all of what has happened. If 40 States vote for something, the Federal supersedes the State to some degree, so that would have a huge impact and that is the only thing that I know as one step that could happen. Of course in Georgia, we are filing lawsuits. There are suits filed against the State of Georgia and it has to go through the court system as to whether or not these laws are constitutional and nobody knows what way that is going to happen either.”
I was told you would also like to talk about ‘fair wage’, because your father fought for a fair wage and that is what he was taking up at the time of his death. What would you say is a fair wage in today’s world and what would you like to say about fair wage in general?
Martin: “Well, number one I think that what is being discussed now around the nation is universal basic income and Dad was talking about the living wage back in 1967. That is probably what got him killed, because today the minimum wage is something around $7 and yet we are talking about moving it to $15 and people are pushing back. We can’t get Congress to universally agree that the minimum wage needs to be moved up to $15. We have got a huge problem that would create the concept of maybe a living wage, and so my point is, Dad was talking about a living wage and this universal basic income which actually is being touted today – we see it manifested by the stimulus packages. We have seen three stimulus packages that most people have been part of receiving a cheque and I think we will end up having to see another one. I think those packages help stimulate the economy and help people getting back on their feet. I think we will need more discussions about a basic universal income for people, again, that is what Dad was talking about 54 or 55 years ago and yet now we are just beginning to see some of it come to fruition. I don’t think it would have even happened had there not been a pandemic. The pandemic created the condition where the Government had to do something to help businesses, to help people, the average human being. Had there not been a pandemic – and we were not talking about a guaranteed basic income – they would have said “well that is Socialism” and “that’s a form of Communism”. Well they can’t say that, because people and businesses need help and the Government is there to assist the people.”
“We are talking about love that is unselfish and undefiable and does not seek anything in return. A love that is based on the belief and knowledge that we are all interconnected as humanity and with that love we could take that love out into the world and really care about what happens to each other, to our brothers and sisters and that’s the type of love that we speak of when we talk about non-violence.” – Arndrea King
Would you Martin or Arndrea ever consider running for U.S. President?
Arndrea: “No!”
Martin: “I certainly don’t see that in my future. Where I think God is leading at least the two of us – and Yolanda has to one day make her own decision if she chooses to do something like that – is that our objective is to get the work done. All three of us. We’ll have to see what manifests as a result of building this huge coalition as I think I started off saying that we as an organisation, we with 100 organisations will not be able to achieve this vote, but with thousands and millions of people working together we can make it happen. We can eliminate or reduce poverty significantly, we can eliminate racism from the face of the globe, we can minimise violence in our nation and we believe throughout the world with this vast, vast group of people working collectively.”
Arndrea: “A coalition of conscience that we are all joined in that coalition of conscience together. Remember, all through non-violence, because non-violence is simply love in action. A lot of times, I think people confuse non-violence. When we think about love and the sentimentality of love, certainly that is one form of love, but when we are talking about love in the context of this work, we are talking about love that is unselfish and undefiable and does not seek anything in return. A love that is based on the belief and knowledge that we are all interconnected as humanity and we could take that love out into the world and really care about what happens to each other, to our brothers and sisters and that’s the type of love that we speak of when we talk about non-violence.”
“I simply realised that he was the best man that I had ever met” – Arndrea King
“Men are often looking for women like their mothers if their mothers were impactful to them…I just feel so blessed to have Arndrea in my life and I’m not sure what I would have done if I had not met her…the more I live with her every day, I realise even more just how important she is to me and Yolanda and to us as a family unit…It has been nothing short of remarkable to go through these very tragic times and have my wife and partner with me…She is extraordinarily strong and supportive and it’s rare that you find qualities in human beings like that who stand up with dignity and elegance” – Martin Luther King III
Absolutely – that is really beautifully put. Speaking of love…how did you two meet, Arndrea and Martin? And Arndrea, when you met him, did you know who he was and who his father was?
Arndrea: “We were set up on a blind date!! I was in my early 20s and we were set up on a blind date. Well, we had talked on the phone for about a month beforehand and felt a certain connection with each other and then we both agreed to meet, so I knew who his father was. I was from Florida, and we had grown up here in Atlanta, but I always say – which is true – that I simply realised that he was the best man that I had ever met.”
Martin: “I obviously want to concur with her. She is the greatest woman I want to compliment. Sometimes it takes men a long time to do things. There were some things in her that reminded me of my mom from day one…They say that men are often looking for women like their mothers if their mothers were impactful to them. Obviously my mom, Coretta Scott King, was larger than life for me. My father was killed on April 4th April 8th , we went to Memphis. My mother took the older children – my brother who was younger than me, Dexter and my older sister Yolanda – to Memphis. My younger sister, Bernice, did not go and she led a march that my father was intending to lead or was supposed to have led had he lived. What makes that so incredible was that nobody had been captured for the murder of our father. At that time, it was a very dangerous decision, but mom made that decision and wanted to expose us as her children. I don’t know of many men who – after losing their wives in a situation like that – would have been able to go and continue in that tradition. That only says to me that she was fortified with the movement in her heart that “I must do this” and then of course we came back in the evening of April 8th from Memphis, Tennessee, after she had led that march with the older ones of us. We had the funeral the next day on April 9th
My mom to me was larger than life…when I met Arndrea, I saw many of those qualities in her. She was younger than me, a number of years younger, but she was older than me in a sense…you know men are like little boys. We don’t ever grow up. We are silly, you know, and she was very serious and she knew where she wanted to go in her twenties and I was still meandering and trying to find out where I was going to go, so once we met…marriage is two people attempting to become one. There could be tension, there could be constructive tension, and it’s wonderful when it is constructive tension, because again you are trying to become one and you also have to be friends, because sometimes in any relationship, it may get difficult, but that friendship – along with that being in love – is that love sustains in those times where it might be a little difficult. I just feel so blessed to have Arndrea in my life and I’m not sure what I would have done if I had not met her. The more I live with her every day, I realise even more just how important she is to me and Yolanda and to us as a family unit. We are a unit and all of us try to bring something to the table, but in a real sense she is our Rock of Gibraltar.
Since our meeting, I have lost a grandfather, a grandmother, a mother, a sister and cousin and one of the qualities that Arndrea has when we are going through trauma and tragedy – particularly losing a loved one – is that she doesn’t break down. Some women and some men would just break down, but not Arndrea. She becomes extraordinarily strong and supportive and its rare that you find qualities in human beings like that who stand up with dignity and elegance. She’s elegant to be able to support through those tragedies. She was right here with me and it made it…it is not easy to lose a loved one, but it made it easier. Most recently we lost her mother and I was proud to be there for her. That was the first on her side that was very, very close, because she was extraordinarily close (my mother-in-law) to her daughters as well as to her granddaughter, so that was a difficult one for all of us, but I hope I was strong for Arndrea. I don’t know that I have been as strong as she has been for me. It has been nothing short of remarkable to go through these very tragic times and have my wife and partner with me.”
That is the most beautiful story I have ever heard. You describe your family so beautifully. It is really wonderful to hear. I imagine that you have had really strong women in your life – your mother and your wife – and that has made a huge impact on you as well…I would just like to ask Yolanda Renee what it is like to have so many strong women in your life?
Yolanda Renee: “Some of the strong women I never really got to know, but I came from a long line of strong women on both sides. I was able to meet my mom’s mom, my grandmother, and like my dad said we were very close, so when I lost her it was hard, but I feel like I have a lot of moms. It is like I have different levels of moms…of course, my mom right here is probably the highest of all the moms. She oversees all of them, my aunts and my mom’s friends, I have a lot of moms in my life. I never got to meet my dad’s mom. I have heard stories and I heard how strong she was. She passed away a couple of years before I was born, but I have heard stories how my dad talks about after losing his dad, she was the one that really lifted him up. Even having the strong woman right next to me, she is the highest of all the moms. It’s normal, even my mom tells me how faithful or how blessed I am to have all these strong women and all these strong people around my life and I think that is what has built the base for my activism and my work and I hope that I become a strong woman when I get older.”
“My mom tells me how faithful or how blessed I am to have all these strong women and all these strong people around my life and I think that is what has built the base for my activism and my work and I hope that I become a strong woman when I get older.” – Yolanda Renee King
You and your mother are currently reinvigorating the non-profit founded by Martin Luther King Jr – the Drum Major Institute – what can you tell us about the Drum Major Institute?
Yolanda Renee: “So, I will be in charge now. We will have, I guess, different programmes under DMI and so I will be in charge of departments. I will be in charge, for now, of the youth component, so we are still making the title…I guess I will be the Youth Director, I believe, so I will be the one gathering all the young people and all the kids of my generation – Gen Z – so we’ll be doing youth activities and getting youth involved, because we are the future. I think many people misinterpret activism and think “let the grownups handle this” and I’m not saying grown-ups can’t get involved, as we saw there are people that are. I don’t want to say age, because I don’t want to offend anybody, but we have seen a variety of ages in this movement and so anybody can really get involved. I don’t think there should be an age limit and there are different ways of being an activist as well. We have seen youth getting involved, so I guess they don’t need too much of my help, but I would like to lead the youth department, because at DMI, not only adults will be able to have these resources…it should be accessible for kids and young adults and so I will be working with them!”
“It’s extraordinarily important to me that my words, my deeds and actions are all in integrity.” – Arndrea King
Arndrea, Martin talked so beautifully about you, your daughter and the strong women in his life – including his mother Coretta Scott King – so what does that mean to you to be a strong female figure and role model to your husband and your daughter, but also to the world?
Arndrea: “I think that for me personally, there is nothing more important than for me to be a role model to my daughter. It’s interesting, I don’t know I am, I don’t purposely try to be any type of way trying to be strong…it is just who I am, but one of the things that is extraordinarily important to me and the most important thing that I try to not only verbally say to my daughter, but most importantly to live for my daughter and myself is living in integrity. What that means to me is making sure that I live my life the very way in which we teach and preach about every day in our work. It’s extraordinarily important to me that my words, my deeds and actions are all in integrity.”
“What I would say to any woman, and to any girl, is to be unapologetically yourself and to trust your inner voice and inner wisdom and always to follow that lead and to dream big and to work hard and to unequivocally stand and know your worth, and for your worth to come from inside and not from validation from the world, because when you are tuned in to your worth and your power and your beauty and your strength, then the world responds to you, but it really starts internally.” – Arndrea King
Arndrea, what words of encouragement do you have for young girls and women today who are inspired by you and inspired by your family’s work activism?
Arndrea: “What I would say to all women, now more than ever: our voices are needed. Out of all the signs and protest signs we saw throughout the year after George Floyd’s murder, the one that stuck with me the most was “George Floyd called for his mom and all mothers answered”, and to me that means not only the physical mother of children, but all women with that divine feminine energy that we have that is strong, yet vulnerable, is needed now more than ever in the world. What I would say to any woman, and to any girl, is to be unapologetically yourself and to trust your inner voice and inner wisdom and always to follow that lead and to dream big and to work hard and to unequivocally stand and know your worth, and for your worth to come from inside and not from validation from the world, because when you are tuned in to your worth and your power and your beauty and your strength, then the world responds to you, but it really starts internally.”
“I am always in awe and inspired by women that face the most tremendous tragedy who still – not only kept going – but used that and turned it into overarching purpose…Women who have had tremendous pain or setbacks and they have turned that pain into purpose, old or young, look at Malala look what happened to her and how she used that and utilised that pain and turned it into purpose and power” – Arndrea King
Arndrea, I completely agree, and that is so beautifully put. If you had a female role model, who would that be? Is there any woman in particular who really stands out to you as a role model?
Arndrea: “That is interesting, I have so many role models and they vary in degrees. I remember when I was in Elementary School here in the United States, you call it Primary School, but I had this wonderful curiosity and quest and intelligence…a quest for reading stories, biographies and autobiographies. I always felt there is so much wisdom with people who have led all types of various lives, all types of stories, so I am always inspired. Who inspired me recently? Honestly, when I look at a lot of the mothers and women who have lost children, particularly as it relates to racist acts and how they use the unimaginable pain and turn that into purpose and power, I am always in awe and inspired by that, so whether it is women that face the most tremendous tragedy who still – not only kept going – but used that and turned it into overarching purpose. Examples are Trayvon Martin’s mother down in Florida who started a foundation in his honour and has been in the forefront of speaking out against hate crimes, particularly against black men, or if it’s here in Georgia, Lucy McBath, who is a Congresswoman whose son was gunned down and turned that pain into purpose and ran for Congress to enact tougher gun laws and gun legislation here. You look at Breonna Taylor’s mother and also women like Stacey Abrams. For me it resonates in particular with women who have had tremendous pain or setbacks and they have turned that pain into purpose, old or young, look at Malala look what happened to her and how she used that and utilised that pain and turned it into purpose and power. Also, what is interesting and inspiring to me, last year we didn’t have the opportunity to do so, but whenever I get the opportunity to go out and travel, I always meet the most amazing and inspiring women living their lives day to day. There are so many wonderful stories like that…so many strong and amazing women that I take inspiration and sustenance from. Obviously, Martin’s mother is an extraordinary role model and example and my mother and you have two different women at the ends of the spectrum in the sense that one who was well known and celebrated – Martin’s mother – and one who was not in the overall general public, but everyone that knew my mother knew and loved her. She was a nurse and she was the first black nurse in her hometown. Not only did other doctors and nurses not want to work with her, but patients wouldn’t even want to be served, but she persevered and kept going and every place that she worked she always rose to leadership roles and she always served and worked many countless hours volunteering. Everyone who worked with her and met her loved her. She was an extraordinary example of someone whose name may not be known, but anyone who crossed her path loved her and she was the better for it and they were the better for it. There are so many women like that out in the world.”
My next question would be: what does gender equality mean to you?
Arndrea: “Gender equality is your gender not being a hindrance in any way to living the life and getting the recognition – whether it is monetary recognition or promotions – it is being able to live your life’s vision and purpose and passion unhindered and your gender not being any hindrance at all to that.”
“I think that we have to continue to raise strong girls, encourage them to dream big and not put limits on them, and we also have to train and teach our boys about gender equality and about the strength of women. I think it is something that children have to see and be taught early on.” – Arndrea King
What do you think should be done to increase gender equality in today’s world? There is still a lot of inequality in the world when it comes to women not having the same opportunities as men. What do you think should be done to increase gender equality, how could that be done and what would be your advice?
Arndrea: “I think there are two ways. There are legislative things and then there are things that are internally for each of us if that makes sense. So, legislatively there are things that could and should be done to make sure whatever forms of gender inequality exist in the workspace is shattered. Any gender inequality as relates to Government as it relates to all of our sectors of our society it is up to the leaders and participants in each sector to really stand and continue to work for gender equality. So, those are legislative things that can be done to ensure gender equality. Then there are things that have to be taught and reinforced – whether that’s at home or where one seeks their expression for their religion or in communities. I think that we have to continue to raise strong girls, encourage them to dream big and not put limits on them, and we also have to train and teach our boys about gender equality and about the strength of women. I think it is something that children have to see and be taught early on.”
“The greatest thing that I always tell her is that to find and trust her inner voice and not to seek validation from the world and I try to tell her to not be crushed by criticism and not to be moved by praise.” – Arndrea King
Absolutely. On that note of raising strong girls…your daughter is lucky to have such inspiring parents, inspiring grandmothers and a mother who are really strong women and who are known for that. What words of wisdom do you give to your daughter that you would like to share with other girls of her age to be a strong woman in the future?
Arndrea: “It is funny because one of my friends teases me…she was visiting once and she said “Arndrea, living with you is like living in a seminar”…I am constantly telling her – and I don’t even realise it – I think I try as much as possible to use everything as a teachable moment. The greatest thing that I always tell her is that to find and trust her inner voice and not to seek validation from the world and I try to tell her to not be crushed by criticism and not to be moved by praise. It is about you being strong in your voice and to not need or seek validation from outside of yourself, and it is most important for her to know that it is okay to fail. It is okay as long as you are always doing your best. It is also okay to be afraid. Sometimes courage is not the absence of fear, but courage is doing something even when you are afraid, so not to think that courage means that you are not afraid. She likes to say, even when she gets up to speak for a moment, her knees are shaking, but when people see her they say she is not afraid at all, so courage is not the feeling of not being afraid, it’s being afraid and doing it anyway.”
“Sometimes courage is not the absence of fear, but courage is doing something even when you are afraid” – Arndrea King
“All over the world, it is young girls and young women that are leading the calls and standing up and taking leadership roles – not only as it relates to gender equality but they are taking leadership roles in all various social issues and they are doing so unapologetic and boldly” – Arndrea King
What do you hope for the future regards to women’s rights and equality?
Arndrea: “I am so hopeful and I know that our future is one in which we will continue to move the needle forward as it relates to gender equality and for every woman to be able to stand in her full glory and brilliance. I unequivocally believe and know that, so I know there have been so many women for hundreds of years that have opened the doors that we are beginning to walk through. I know that my generation will open even more doors for the girls behind us to walk through and I know the girls behind us are going to kick those doors and walk through. You have seen, not only the movements that have been afoot – particularly for the last few years as relates to gender equality – but what to me is also so amazing is that in all these other movements, young girls that are leading movements all around the world (whether you are talking about climate issue and climate change or whether you are talking about here in America and the kids from March for our Lives), there were a lot of girls that were the cofounders of that. When you are talking about the Black Lives Matter movement, there are a lot of young girls in it. There is Little Miss Flint in Flint, Michigan, that’s leading and being the voice for the water crisis there. All over the world, it is young girls and young women that are leading the calls and standing up and taking leadership roles – not only as it relates to gender equality but they are taking leadership roles in all various social issues and they are doing so unapologetic and boldly. I know unequivocally those same girls as they grow up and their colleagues that grow up will be taking that same fierceness with them into the workforce and standing and making change there and they will be taking that same fierceness with them into sectors of Government and making changes there, they will be taking that fierceness with them into communities whatever their professions are, so I for one am excited to see what the future holds.”
“I know there have been so many women for hundreds of years that have opened the doors that we are beginning to walk through. I know that my generation will open even more doors for the girls behind us to walk through and I know the girls behind us are going to kick those doors and walk through.” – Arndrea King
So, if you all had a dream like MLK Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech, what would each of you say is your dream for the world and could you finish the sentence “I have a dream…”?
Martin: “I have a dream that we as a world community come together and really end violence, poverty, racism. That is a monumental task I am convinced that human kind has the ability to do. We just have not tapped into the will, so when you bring ability and will together, it yields results, so that we can and will someday realise the dream that my father envisioned freedom and justice and equality for all humankind.”
Yolanda Renee: “Well, I have a dream that we will finish the dream that my grandfather started and I think it is our job to fulfil it and I have a dream that we must complete the dream and be the dream!”
Arndrea: “I have a dream that we will finally and fully create the loved community, that every child who inhabits this earth experiences genuine equality and that they can bloom. That the glory that is innate in each one of us will be able to bloom and each one of us can be our full glory in the beloved community.”
Thank you so much, all of you, that is really beautifully put. I would just like to say how much this interview means to me – not as a journalist, but as a human being. One final question, how can people get involved in your movement?
Arndrea: “They can find us online at the drummajorinst.org and as well through the Drum Major Institute social media channels. Martin’s official Instagram @OfficialMLK3 and Twitter @OfficialMLK3 are linked to the Drum Major Institute as well.”
See the full article on Mashable.