Race in America

MLK Jr.'s family reflects on his legacy, goals for our nation

In Washington Monday, members of the King Family recalled their father's goals to eradicate the "three evils": poverty, racism, and violence.

MLK Jr.'s family reflects on his legacy, goals for our nation
Andrew Harnik / AP
Article by Amber Strong
SMS
January 16, 2023

Martin Luther King III was joined by President Joe Biden and Reverend Al Sharpton, honoring those they say helped continue the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and petitioning the nation to continue the mission. It was a day of reflection and calls to action. 

"Martin Luther King Day is not a holiday," Sharpton said. "For those that struggle for social justice, it's a holy day."

In Washington Monday, members of the King Family recalled their father's goals to eradicate the "three evils": poverty, racism, and violence.  

"The question becomes, 'Have we achieved the dream?' The reality is: Absolutely not," King said. "We have to keep working to save our children ... There's too much killing in our nation."

President Biden joined in on those calls, touting gun legislation passed after a mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store last year that killed 10 Black people. 

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"I am going to get assault weapons banned…there is no social redeeming value," he said. 

The president also pushing against restrictions on abortion.  

"We got to stand together, including protecting a woman's right to choose," he continued. 

That sentiment was echoed by one of this year's honorees, Arndrea Waters King, who is the wife of King III and president of the Drum Major Institute.   

"It's a place where guns are regulated and not my body," she said. 

Waters King also set the group's agenda for the year, including calls for gun legislation and LGBTQ rights.

It's a place not of insurrection, but of resurrection," she continued. "It's a place where we do say gay."

All of this lays the path for a "march," if you will, towards August. That's when many of these same faces will gather again to reflect on the 60 years since the March on Washington.