Bernice King Speaks At FIU's MLK Celebration

Miami FL

20 January, 2021

7:50 AM

Description

By Bianca Marcof, Miami Times Contributor Bernice A. King spoke at Florida International University's 30th Annual Martin Luther King Celebration on Thursday./FIU, the Miami Times Jan 19, 2021 "Violence is not the answer, it is not a solution." Bernice A. King spoke of the Capitol insurrection and how her father's teachings still apply today at Florida International University's 30th Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Commemorative Celebration last week. Centered on the theme of "United for Equity: The Power of Collective Action," the minister, attorney and daughter of King and Coretta Scott King discussed important issues in a conversation moderated by Saif Ishoof, FIU's vice president for the Office of Engagement. King emphasized that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not a protest, but an act of violence intended to cause "great harm and damage." "These acts of insurrection, sedition and terrorism … domestic terrorists live in the world where they believe that they're going to be left behind, that the world is going to become extremely colorful in terms of races, and that is very intimidating, frightening and fearful for them. They've been fed a lot of false rhetoric, I believe, false rhetoric by the president of the United States and it's unfortunate that is the case, but anytime there is progress in particular on the racial front, there is always this kind of backlash that we experience. "I will not say, like some have said, that this is not who we are, but this is who we have been throughout history," she said. "It is also indicative of the very violent nature that we have in this nation. You know, my father said in the '60s that America is 'the greatest purveyor of violence.'" King stressed the importance of the mobilization of the civil rights movement and how the goals of today's Black Lives Matter movement are no different from what her father fought for 60 years ago. "That's one of the concerns people have expressed: How do we make sure that it's not just this moment, but it really is a movement for an ultimate social change, that we do more than just make incremental changes? It really is important that people study my father's movement because they did just that," she said. "They organized, strategized and they did it through the nonviolence philosophy and methodology. We've got to do that again today … [My father's] words are so true, they are relevant today and we don't need to just keep them in a book, you know, and just confined into history and the history of his time." King reminded viewers about the need to work together on issues that threaten "our humanity, our togetherness, our connectedness and our civilization." Hosted by the university's Academic & Student Affairs, the 30-year anniversary of FIU's virtual event honoring King was held in memory of founder Dr. E. George Simms and featured performances by poet Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns and the FIU Gospel Choir. According to the university, more than 1,000 guests watched virtually. The winners of the 2021 MLK Essay Scholarship Contest, where students submitted a 500-word essay centered on the life, work and ideals of the elder King, were Shirley Prosper, Barbie Stephens-Lazaro and Shawna-Lee Pommells. Winners of the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award, which honors students who promote social justice and represent King's ideals, also were announced. They are Melanie Rodriguez and Marcus-Malik A. O'Connor Howard. Close 1 of 3 The winners of the 2021 MLK Essay Scholarship Contest, from L to R: Shirley Prosper, Barbie Stephens-Lazaro and Shawna-Lee Pommells./FIU Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Marcus-Malik A. O'Connor Howard, FIU freshman and communications arts major, is a winner of the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award./FIU Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save FIU English and exceptional student education major Melanie Rodriguez, a junior, is a winner of the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award./FIU Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Winners 1 of 3 The winners of the 2021 MLK Essay Scholarship Contest, from L to R: Shirley Prosper, Barbie Stephens-Lazaro and Shawna-Lee Pommells./FIU Marcus-Malik A. O'Connor Howard, FIU freshman and communications arts major, is a winner of the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award./FIU FIU English and exceptional student education major Melanie Rodriguez, a junior, is a winner of the 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award./FIU FIU will have an upcoming exhibit at the Frost Art Museum as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Exhibition Series that will display Afrofuturism and Black thought devoid of systemic racism, titled "Transfiguration: A Black Speculative Vision of Freedom." Curated by Julian C. Chambliss, the exhibit will run Jan. 21 through April 16 at the university's Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.