Alveda King

Alveda King
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 28th district
In office
1979–1983
Preceded by Virginia Shapard[1]
Succeeded by Bob Holmes[2]
Personal details
Born Alveda Celeste King
(1951-01-22) January 22, 1951
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Eddie Clifford Beal (divorced)
Jerry Ellis (divorced)
Israel Tookes (divorced)
Children 6
Parents Alfred Daniel Williams King (1930-1969)
Residence Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater Central Michigan University (M.A.)
Occupation Minister, activist, author
Religion Christian
Website Official website

Alveda Celeste King (born January 22, 1951) is an American activist, author and former state representative for the 28th District in the Georgia House of Representatives.

She is a niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and daughter of civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King. She is a Fox News Channel contributor. She once served as a Senior Fellow at the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, a conservative Washington, D.C. think-tank. She is a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and the founder of Alveda King Ministries.

Childhood and family

Alveda King was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the first of five children of A. D. King—the younger brother of Martin Luther King Jr.—and Naomi Barber King. King says her mother wanted to abort her so she could continue college, but her grandfather was able to convince her to keep her child.[3] When she was 12, her father became a leader of the Birmingham campaign while serving as pastor at the First Baptist Church of Ensley in Birmingham, Alabama. Later that same year, King's house was bombed by opponents to the civil rights movement.

Father's death

In 1969, her father, A.D. King, was found dead in the pool at his home.[4] The cause of death was listed as an accidental drowning.[5][6][7][8]

Grandfather King said in his autobiography, "Alveda had been up the night before, she said, talking with her father and watching a television movie with him. He'd seemed unusually quiet...and not very interested in the film. But he had wanted to stay up and Alveda left him sitting in an easy chair, staring at the TV, when she went off to bed... I had questions about A.D.'s death and I still have them now. He was a good swimmer. Why did he drown? I don't know – I don't know that we will ever know what happened."[9]

Abortions

King had two abortions and attempted to get a third one. Her doctor did the first abortion without her family’s knowledge.[10] When she was pregnant in 1973, she went to Planned Parenthood and got a second abortion.[11] She was divorced soon after that. Later, she wanted to get a third abortion, but neither the father nor her grandfather agreed with her.[12]

Education

King studied journalism[13] and sociology as an undergraduate, and she received a Master of Arts degree in business management from Central Michigan University. She received an honorary doctorate from Saint Anselm College.[14]

Public office

From 1979-83, King represented the 28th District in the Georgia House of Representatives.[15] The district included Fulton County,[16] and King served as a Democrat.[17]

In 1984, Alveda King ran for the seat of Georgia's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and supported the Rev. Jesse Jackson for president.[18] The 5th Congressional seat, at the time of King's campaign was held by Wyche Fowler. Andrew Young, who held the seat prior to Fowler, endorsed Hosea Williams, one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most trusted lieutenants and perhaps best known for organizing and leading the first Selma March.[19]

Coretta Scott King did not endorse her niece. Young, who had given up the seat to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the UN, and Williams approached King and asked her to end her campaign for the seat so that she could dedicate more time to her family. Young later apologized for what he called "some blatantly chauvinistic remarks."[20] She did not withdraw. With the black vote split, Fowler defeated both King and Williams in the primary. That was the last time she ran for elective office. However, since then, she has publicly stated that she is a Republican.[21]

Pro-life activism

King has been a pro-life speaker since 1983 and often speaks on college campuses about abortion issues.[22] She joined the pro-life movement, pushing to offer women alternatives to abortion.[23] Angela D. Dillard classifies King as among "prominent black members of the Religious Right".[24]

Restoring Honor rally

On August 28, 2010, King spoke at Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial.[25] Before the rally King explained to the Christian Science Monitor that speaking at the rally was a chance to engage in freedom of speech and to praise the man, Lincoln, that "led this fledgling nation out of slavery, and made my people free."[26] ABC News reported that in King's speech, she hoped that "white privilege will become human privilege and that America will soon repent of the sin of racism and return itself to honor."[27]

Herman Cain support

King was a supporter of Herman Cain for President and defended him from sexual harassment claims, saying, "A woman knows a skirt-chaser" and "Herman Cain is no skirt-chaser."[28] She co-founded Women for Cain.[29]

Views

Abortion

Alveda King has said, "Mrs. Coretta Scott King knew that her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was pro-life" despite his winning the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in 1966.[30][31][32] In 1994, according to Fox News, Alveda King has "long argued" that Dr. King was a Republican.[33] She later blogged that MLK was politically independent.[34] After the Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater (who voted against the Civil Rights Act) and Strom Thurmond became a Republican, Dr. King actively campaigned against Goldwater.[35]

After civil rights leader Rosa Parks died in 2005, Alveda King claimed Parks was a symbol for the pro-life movement[36] (although she had served on the Board of Advocates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America).[37][38]

Alveda King once wrote: "Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood once said, 'Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated'."[39]

Same-sex marriage

King has spoken out against same-sex marriage. Her position is outlined in her article, "Human Sexuality: It All Started With An Apple!" She wrote, "My dad A.D. King, Uncle MLK, and Granddaddy King passed on to me their beliefs on biblical marriage. Life is a human and civil right, so is procreative marriage... We must now go back to the beginning, starting with Genesis, and teach about God’s plan for marriage... It's time to start from scratch and lay the foundation all over again."[40]

Personal life

King has been married and divorced three times. She has six living children. She had two abortions and suffered one miscarriage.[14]

Works

King has written the following books:

King has produced the following musical works:
She released the CD, Let Freedom Ring in 2005,[41] and she has appeared in film and television as both Alveda King[42] and Alveda King Beal.[43]
The Human Experience, a 2010 documentary film, featured commentary from King.

She co-produced the video "Latter Rain" (2005)[44] and co-executive produced PRAY for AMERICA (2015)[45][46]

Ms King also appears in the 2016 movie: Hillary's America, discussing how the democratic party has approached issues of most relevance for black citizens in America.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, 1, 1978, p. 2743
  2. ↑ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, 1, 1983, p. 1966
  3. ↑ Alveda King (January 22, 2008). Alveda King talking about abortion. In front of the Supreme Court building. Event occurs at 04:40. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  4. ↑ Taylor Branch (September 4, 2010). "Dr. King's Newest Marcher". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2010. in fact A. D. King drowned at home after a long bout with alcohol and depression. – Taylor Branch,author of the Pulitzer prize-winning biography of Martin Luther King
  5. ↑ "The Rev. A. D. Williams King". Time. August 1, 1969. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Bomb Hits Home in Birmingham". New York Times. August 1, 1963. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Introduction in Papers". Introduction in Papers. 1 (26): 43.
  8. ↑ "A Rights Activist". Thomas A. Johnson, New York Times. July 22, 1969.
  9. ↑ King, Martin Luther, Sr.; Riley, Clayton (1980). Daddy King An Autobiography. Morrow. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-688-03699-7.
  10. ↑ "Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King speaks out for the future of the yet unborn. How can the "Dream" survive if we murder our children?". African American Outreach.
  11. ↑ Alveda King (January 22, 2008). Alveda King talking about abortion. In front of the Supreme Court building. Event occurs at 03:51. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  12. ↑ Alveda King (January 22, 2008). Alveda King talking about abortion. In front of the Supreme Court building. Event occurs at 03:51. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ Hamilton Bims (1974). "'He Never Gives Us More Than We Can Bear'". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. 29 (12): 38. ISSN 0012-9011.
  14. 1 2 "Dr. Alveda C. King". Priests for Life. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  15. ↑ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, 1, 1979, p. 2059
  16. ↑ "Women in the Georgia House of Representatives, 1923 – 2000". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  17. ↑ Denvir, Daniel (August 27, 2010). "Meet MLK's Glenn Beck-loving niece". Salon. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Alveda King Beal Seeks A Congressional Seat, Supports Jesse Jackson", Jet, 66 (7), p. 13, April 23, 1984
  19. ↑ "Reverend Hosea Williams". Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site. National Park Service. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Campaign Notes; 'Chauvinistic Remarks' Conceded by Young". New York Times. Associated Press. July 12, 1984. Retrieved August 29, 2010. The Mayor also conceded that when Mrs. Beal said she objected to his "chauvinistic attitude," he had told her that her uncle, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and her father, the Rev. Alfred King, were "male chauvinist pigs, too."
  21. ↑ When I was a Democrat: "I've been a Democrat, and I've been a Republican. I've even considered being an independent. Today, I'm just a Christian."
  22. ↑ "Dr. Alveda King featured speaker at pro-life rally". Speroforum.com. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  23. ↑ Jacob, Jennifer (October 31, 2009). "Alveda King visits Meridian with pro-life message". Meridian Star. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  24. ↑ Dillard, Angela D. (2002). Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Now?: Multicultural Conservatism in America. New York City: NYU Press. p. 164. ISBN 0-8147-1940-6.
  25. ↑ MacAskill, Ewen (August 28, 2010). "US right claims spirit of Martin Luther King at Lincoln Memorial rally". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  26. ↑ King, Alveda (August 26, 2010). "Glenn Beck 8/28 rally: It's a matter of honor". Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010. If we want to sing the national anthem at a memorial to the man who led this fledgling nation out of slavery, and made my people free, we should be able to send our voices soaring to the heavens. Glenn Beck's "Rally to Restore Honor" this Saturday will give us that chance, and that's why I feel it's important for me to be there.
  27. ↑ Dolak, Kevin (August 28, 2010). "Alveda King Speaks at Glenn Beck's DC Rally". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Cain supporter insists 'Herman Cain is no skirt-chaser'". Cain 2012. November 30, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  29. ↑ Lauren Fox (December 2, 2011). "Herman Cain Gets Women to Counter Sex Harassment Claims". US News and World Report. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  30. ↑ Cassandra, Adam (August 27, 2010). "Dr. Alveda King: 'Coretta Scott King Knew That Her Husband Was Pro-Life'". CNSNews.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Martin Luther King, Jr. and Planned Parenthood Part 1" (PDF). Priests for Life. Priests for Life. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Martin Luther King, Jr. and Planned Parenthood Part 2" (PDF). Priests for Life. Priests for Life.
  33. ↑ Abrams, Joseph (July 14, 2009). "Billboard Claiming Martin Luther King Was Republican Angers Black Activists in Houston". Fox News. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Put the Political Strife out to Pasture". Priests for Life. Priests for Life.
  35. ↑ "Dr. King Foresees 'Social Disruption' If Goldwater Wins". New York Times. September 13, 1964. p. 66. It is important for all responsible persons, he said, to see that Mr. Goldwater is defeated. There were 'dangerous signs of Hitlerism' in the program of the Republican candidate, Dr. King declared.
  36. ↑ "Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks dies at 92, pro-life leaders call her inspirational", Catholic News Agency; accessed October 26, 2015.
  37. ↑ Levithan, Kristen (November 24, 2015). "Happy 100th Birthday, Revolutionary Rosa Parks". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Rosa Parks biography". The Biography Channel. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Eugenics and Planned Parenthood". Priests for Life. Priests for Life.
  40. ↑ "Human Sexuality: It All Started With An Apple!". Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Alveda King". CD Baby. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  42. ↑ IMDb profile of Alveda King
  43. ↑ Profile of Alveda King Beal, imdb.com; accessed January 17, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Latter Rain".
  45. ↑ "PRAY for America Facebook page".
  46. ↑ "PRAY for AMERICA".

External links

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