Remember people with biographies & photos. [20] Soon thereafter, they would be joined by their younger brother Dexter. "I'm Yoki," Yolanda King said, smiling. 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. King received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, a master's degree in theater from New York University,[59] and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Marywood University. <img src="http://members.cox.net/jnashatty/P1020216.jpg" height=450 width=600> Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through acting and motivational speaking, has died. She founded a dramatic group with Atallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, the slain civil rights leader, and started a theatrical production company, Higher Ground Productions, dedicated to what she called personal empowerment. ", 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.". 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. Besides her brother Dexter Scott King, Yolanda King is survived by another brother, Martin Luther King III, and her sister, the Rev. She appeared in numerous films and played Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries King. "While Mrs. King was alive, the standards to which she would hold any potential life partner of any of her children would be so high as to be almost unmeetable," he speculates. Yolanda King, shown here in a 2005 photograph, sought to encourage "personal growth and positive social change." [36] She did admit that, had he lived or he been listened to more, "we would be in a far better place. Heart Attack caused Yolanda King's death in 2007. }, First published on May 16, 2007 / 5:32 AM. Bernice King, Yolanda King and Martin Luther King III. Market data provided by Factset. [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]. She originally wanted $8,000, but negotiated down to $6,500. To Yolanda, it seemed as if adults naturally went to jail occasionally, because all those she knew seemed to do that. [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. In 1993, she debunked the thought that her father's "dream" had been anything but a dream, and was quoted as saying "It's easier to build monuments than to make a better world. While in high school, she gained lifelong friends. She was helping the association raise awareness, especially among blacks, about stroke. [78] She joined her mother in placing a wreath around her father's crypt. 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." Yolanda King's bio. [39] During a Sunday visit to Church, King was forced to stand before the congregation and explain her actions. [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". With Yolanda King, she also founded a group named Nucleus, Inc. in 1977. At her father's former Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist, she performed a series of one-actor skits 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, Alabama. } 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. On her company's Web site, King described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change. King cried when she found out her father had been imprisoned. Father's death: 1968 Teenage years and high school: 1968-1972 Early adulthood College: 1972-1976 . "[94] Following the September 11 attacks, King spoke in North Chicago in 2002 and related that her father's wisdom during the crisis would have been of great aid to her. [10], Her mother referred to her as being a confidant during the time following her husband's assassination. She went to drama school, where was active in student counsels, and in 1976, she graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and African American Studies. Bernice King, Yolanda King and Martin Luther King III. King aroused controversy in high school for her role in a play. 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. She held membership at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which her father helped found in 1957, and she was a notable advocate for non-violence. [63][64] The theater company was based in New York City and Los Angeles and focused on addressing the issues that their fathers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, spoke of in their lifetimes. 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. I remember thinking she was sparkly a good, throaty laugh, good sense of humor, the ability to dramatically capture the room's attention. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. "[37] King openly stated years later that she did not hate James Earl Ray.[38]. Yolanda King, 51, Actor and Dr. King's Daughter, Dies By Douglas Martin May 17, 2007 Yolanda King, the eldest child of the Rev. Yolanda King was born on November 17, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. In honor of her father, King promoted a show in Los Angeles entitled "Achieving the Dream" in 2001. She was a young girl during his famous stay in the Birmingham, Alabama, jail. 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. She was 51. When asked by The Associated Press at that event how she was dealing with the loss of her mother, she responded: "I connected with her spirit so strongly. None of them have children, and there will be no third generation of Kings to carry on Martin Luther King's legacy. He added she was "thoroughly committed to the movement and found her own means of expressing that commitment through drama. 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.". Rest in peace Yoki! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who melded her father's. Yolanda King, the eldest child of the Rev. Yolanda was born at St. Jude's Hospital in Montgomery, Alabama to Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr[2]., she was only two weeks old when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. Dexter King said of his sister, "She gave me permission. He may be dead physically, and one day I am going to see him again".[43]. [39] On April 4, 1970, the second anniversary of her father's death, she and her sister Bernice attended their grandfather Martin Luther King, Sr.'s silent prayer for their father at his gravesite. Funeral arrangements would be announced later, the family said in a statement. [58] Despite some early opposition to acting that she received during her controversial play in high school, King still tried to get roles and actively tried performing. The flag at The King Center, where she was a board member, flew at half-staff on today. She stroked her youngest child, Bernice, as the preschooler raised sad eyes to her mother and looked around in wonder at all the strangers in the church that had been home to three generations of Kings. Active human rights worker. [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. In the Fall of 1968, King attended Henry Grady Highschool, in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, she was president of her sophomore and junior class, and vice president of her senior class. Yolanda died in May. [130] During a 2009 reunion at her alma mater Smith College, a walk was done in her memory by fellow alumnae.[131]. Steve Klein, a spokesman for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, said the cause of death had not been determined but seemed related to cardiopulmonary problems. Yolanda King, the Rev. When asked then by The Associated Press how she was dealing with the loss of her mother, King responded: "I connected with her spirit so strongly. She was 51. 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. People Photos Purpose. Oliver Lang/AFP/Getty Images She was also on the student council. When asked about how she was faring following her mother's death, Yolanda responded: "I connected with her spirit so strongly. Sometime after Martin Luther King's assassination, King told her mother "Mom, I'm not going to cry because my dad is not dead. "[53] At the time of her turmoil in college, King recalled having not known Malcolm X and "didn't understand daddy, so here I was trying to defend something I thought I knew about but really didn't. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Oops! She allowed me to give myself permission to be me." Search instead in Creative? Yolanda King was the founder and head of Higher Ground Productions, billed as a "gateway for inner peace, unity and global transformation." or redistributed. She then toured the country with the Christian Theater Artist Company, which she helped found. There, she joined hands with her siblings and mother along with other civil rights activists, singing We Shall Overcome. Yolanda, from your one and only, I thank you for being a sister and for being a friend." [90] King joined the rest of her family in February 1997, in advocating a retrial for James Earl Ray, the man convicted of her father's murder, having realized that "without our direct involvement, the truth will never come out. Ms. Kings consistent goal was to infect her work, including her films, with her familys deeper purposes. On her company's Web site, she described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change. King was born in the midst of the turbulent civil rights movement and was only an infant when the King home was bombed in 1956. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Yolanda King learned about racial discrimination at 3 or 4 when she was barred from an amusement park. Yolanda King is survived by her sister, the Rev. Still Far From Living King's Dream, His Daughter Says", "LOVE WILL LIGHT WAY, KING'S DAUGHTER SAYS", "25th anniversary of death of Martin Luther King, Jr. is observed across USA", "KING'S DAUGHTER TO INTERPRET DREAM FOR DENVER", "WATTS: Show Stirs Memories for King's Daughter", "Daughter Yolanda King And Sinfonietta Honor Her Dad", "King Family Makes Appeal For Trial for James Earl Ray", "More Need To Hear Yolanda King's 'Music', "King's daughter recalls father's message", "King's 'Dream' Endures in Mix of Music, Drama", "Yolanda King, 51; actress, child of civil rights leader", "Coretta Scott King to Remain Hospitalized at Least a Week", "Relative Says Mrs. King Had Minor Stroke", "Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., dies", "Eldest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. dies", "Yolanda King's body brought back to Atlanta", "King's Dream Of Unity Reflected In Celebrations", "King's dream still worth pursuing, daughter says", "Civil-rights leader's daughter to speak", "King's Daughter Urges Students To Get Involved", "Task Force mourns death of Yolanda King 'An unwavering voice for equality and justice', "Out & Equal Mourns the Passing of Civil Rights Leader", "Yolanda King's sudden death shocks family, friends", "After 'March', feeling hopeful about the 'Dream', In Black America; Yolanda King: Understanding The Black Struggle,, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yolanda_King&oldid=1136984705, Felecia Hunter, in the 1978 television miniseries, Melina Nzeza as a child and Ronda Louis-Jeune as an adult, in the 2013 television movie, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 04:20. [50] Family (2) Trivia (7) Daughter of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. Her deepest memories were the love of her father, who taught her to swim and playfully pummeled her but never spanked her. accessed ), memorial page for Yolanda Denise King (17 Nov 1955-15 May 2007), Find a Grave Memorial ID 19405381; . [18] In 1964, upon learning her father would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, she asked her mother what her father was going to do with the money he was receiving in addition to the award. 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. The head of the school was Walt Roberts, father of the actors Eric and Julia Roberts. They look at me when I'm talking as if this is science fiction. She mentioned the possibility that the event could have been a calling for Americans to put their loyalty towards "their race, tribe and nation", as her father once said. "She lived with a lot of the trauma of our struggle," said the Rev. The only reason why Black History Month was created and still exists is because America is still struggling and trying to come to grips, come to terms with the diversity of its people. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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? Sign In . Al Sharpton , U.S.. "Yolanda was lovely. [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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Mrs. King said the children attended because they wanted to. [61] Both were worried that they would not like each other due to their fathers' legacies. While her siblings were trying to find out what it meant, Yolanda already knew. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. 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. Numerous dignitaries from around the world crowded into the dark wood pews at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church. But walking through the first part of the exhibit I felt that terror. Share Memory. Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". That decade saw King's acting career take off as she appeared in ten separate projects, including Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Our Friend, Martin (1999) and Selma, Lord, Selma (1999). "[24] King appeared in the film Selma, Lord, Selma, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches as Miss Bright. Yolanda Denise King, daughter and eldest child of the Rev. 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. She received a standing ovation afterwards, alongside a thunderous applause. [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. Maya Angelou wrote a tribute to her, which was read during the memorial service. Summary . Trending News 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story" She debunked complacency in having any role in progression of her father's dream. Her death came a year after her mother died. In 1999, she acted in Selma, Lord, Selma, about the civil rights march, and in 1996 appeared in Ghosts of Mississippi, about efforts to track down the killer of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader. Despite this, Shabazz still appeared in the state and performed in the play. [29] King complimented her mother as a "brave and strong lady," leading to a hug between them. 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Neither she nor her mother was injured when the device exploded on the front porch. 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. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968, and Mrs. King died last year. Ms. King was 12 on April 4, 1968, when she heard a news bulletin on television saying her father had been assassinated in Memphis. "[69] King started Black History Month of 1986 by giving a speech in Santa Ana, which called for the study of African-American history to not be "relegated to the shortest and coldest month of the year. She founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions. Born 1950 and died 2007. Death photos of Yolanda King Seeing Spots May 24, 2007 1 2 Next Seeing Spots Joyful Woman! 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. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Leading up to her death, she was still active in the public eye. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He had come up for the festivities, and he had two friends with him. "[54] On April 4, 1975, King joined her family in placing azaleas over her father's crypt, marking the seventh anniversary of his assassination.[55]. Yolanda King founded and led Higher Ground Productions, billed as a "gateway for inner peace, unity and global transformation." Her career in acting kept her in the realm of civil rights. Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era. She was a reserved and quiet person who loved acting. Al Sharpton, a black political leader, said he expressed his condolences to her brother Martin Luther King III on Wednesday. [24] In February 1982, King was a speaker during the centennial of Anne Spencer's birth. [50] King would ultimately attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts after graduating from high school. / CBS/AP. Yolanda Denise King, who was born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., lived virtually her entire life in the maelstrom of the civil rights revolution that her father and mother, Coretta Scott King, helped lead. 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. Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955 May 15, 2007) was an African-American activist, actress and first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King who pursued artistic and entertainment endeavors and public speaking. She just moved upstairs." Jesse Jackson stated that King "lived with a lot of the trauma of our struggle. Her brother Martin III was born in 1957; brother Dexter in 1961; and sister Bernice in 1963. King was an ardent activist for gay rights,[123][124] as was her mother; Coretta Scott protested many times over gay rights. Despite this, King managed to keep up her grades and became involved in high school politics, serving as class president for two years. ", during a celebration that marked what would have been her father's sixty-fourth birthday. Joseph Lowery, said Wednesday he was stunned and saddened by the news of King's death. Instead, the two quickly found common ground in their activism and in their positive outlook towards the future of African-Americans. [79] King stressed in 1992 that love would help people make their mark on the world. Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006. [97] King and Elodia Tate co-edited the book Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Celebrating Our Common Humanity,[98][99] published by McGraw-Hill in 2003. Her father admitted that he had never adjusted to bringing up children under "inexplicable conditions". "[126] Like her parents and siblings, King did not publicly affiliate with a political party. [52] With her death, the only remaining members of King's father's immediate family were her grandfather Martin Luther King, Sr. and aunt Christine King Ferris. Her childhood experience was greatly influenced by her father's highly public activism. Yolanda King wrote and produced plays; gave speeches to groups that included elementary schoolchildren and Fortune 500 corporations; and acted in commercial movies. Yolanda Denise King, daughter and eldest child of civil rights leader the Rev. [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. "Yolanda was lovely. She also was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Despite this, she did voice opposition to President Ronald Reagan's reluctance to sign the law establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day, her father's national holiday. She was helping the association raise awareness, especially among blacks, about stroke. ", The Rev. His youngest two children, Esther and Vernon, were vacationing with King and her family in Jamaica when they heard of his death. Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Her mother started to realize that Yolanda had become more aware of the possibility that her father could be killed as well. Arrangements were to be announced later, the family said in a statement. The King Center in Atlanta set up to preserve the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King says his oldest child, Yolanda Denise King, has died. "[91] In an interview with People magazine in 1999, she recalled when she first learned of her father's death and stated in her words that "to this day, my heart skips a beat every time I hear one of those special bulletins. 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. [104] She was hospitalized on August 16, 2005,[105] and was set to come home as well. Like Jackie Kennedy before her, Coretta Scott King sat still and composed as all around her wept. Only a year earlier, Coretta Scott King, wife of MLK and mother to Yolanda, died from complications of ovarian cancer at the age of 78. 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. All four of MLK's children . We cannot be satisfied with a few black faces in high places when millions of our people have been locked out." May 24, 2007 #1 A friend of mines sent me these photos, so I cannot verify the authenticity.I think she looks beautiful. 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". Market data provided by Factset. 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.". You can help our automatic cover photo selection by reporting an unsuitable photo. "[128] January 2008's issue of Ebony, her relationship with Rev. The two were the same age. [22] King flew to Memphis, Tennessee with her brothers and mother and participated in leading a march in Memphis with sanitation workers and civil rights leaders. The four King children gathered at the February 2006 funeral of their mother, Coretta Scott King. Yolanda, Martin, Dexter and Bernice King lost their father. I could let the rough edges show., Yolanda King, 51, Actor and Dr. Kings Daughter, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17king.html. [116], Bernice King said it was "very difficult standing here blessed as her one and only sister. . Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz Gamilah was born in 1964, the year before her dad's death. [119] She made it clear that month that she was not trying to fill her father's footsteps, noting jokingly that "They're too big" and that she would "fall and break [her] neck". The play was directed towards teens and focused on the 10th year reunion of six high school friends. In 1974, an apparent madman fired a gun in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and killed her grandmother Alberta Williams King. "[117], To the time of her death, King continued to deny that her father's dreams and ideals would be fulfilled during her lifetime. Martin Luther King Jr. , Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. Death 15 May 2007 (aged 51) Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, USA.

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