Atlanta

King Center gets ready to celebrate legacy of MLK on what would be his 94th birthday

ATLANTA — The King Center is getting set to celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Day is Jan. 16, but Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston has learned the center has other big events planned to start this week.

People and organizations here in the Atlanta metro and across the country are preparing for a day of service, but for the King Center, the day is a chance to re-ignite Dr. King’s dream.

“He had a vision for our world. He articulated it in the ‘I have a dream speech,’” said daughter Dr. Bernice King.

That vision was that all men were created equal.

Huddleston spoke one-on-one with Bernice King on Thursday who said she’s ready to celebrate and commemorate what would’ve been her father’s 94th birthday.

They have more than a week of activities planned to celebrate the event, from church services, marches, youth summits, and children’s programs to teach the young and old, about Dr. King’s dream of equality and compassion.

RELATED STORIES:

“It is a reflection of the beloved community. When we don’t have a vision, all kind of chaos ensues,” King said.

King told Huddleston that her father’s birthday had become more than a day off, but a day of service and education.

During a news conference, she said they have programs that can teach young people lessons of non-violence.

Lessons that could help in the rise of recent gun violence at home, on the streets, and in the workplace.

“Today I’m happy to introduce the three- and half-hour workplace edition of our non-violence 365 e-learning master class,” King said.

King said years ago, she wasn’t happy with big celebrations for her father because she felt she had been cheated because her father and mother had been taken away from her.

But she says that’s changed.

“I realize and recognize what my parents did was so vital to the stability of our world house,” King said. “That is on me now.”

The events to celebrate MLK start this weekend.

RELATED NEWS: