Chairman's Message

MESSAGE FROM DEXTER SCOTT KING

Chairman and Chief Operating Officer

The King Center

The King Center seeks to create the Beloved Community that my father,  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so eloquently described in his speeches, sermons, and writings and practiced in his leadership of the Civil Rights,  peace, and anti-poverty Movements.  It is also a living reflection of the leadership of my mother, Coretta Scott King, who founded the King Center.  The King Center embraces my parents' vision of a world where nonviolence is a way of life. My father pointed out that nonviolence means more than the absence of physical violence. Nonviolence is not passive, but a courageous, active resistance to injustice. It is a way of life reflected in thought and deed, a method of conducting yourself in all of your affairs.

Nonviolence requires understanding of your opposition’s perspective. As my father said, “We must learn from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.” Through nonviolence, we seek to achieve a mutually-beneficial, “win-win” resolution of the conflict in which adversaries are reconciled and community is restored or created. It means placing your individual perspectives on the table in a spirit of openness and negotiating a just outcome for all parties. Nonviolence does not seek to defeat or humiliate your opponent, but to win his friendship. “The aftermath of nonviolence,” my father explained, “is the creation of the Beloved Community.”

In keeping with this challenge, The King Center has embraced a new mission: to “educate the world about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy and methods of nonviolence in order to create the Beloved Community.” Though the mission change does not alter the overall organization direction, which we have had for the past four decades, it does signal a shift of emphasis in our programs and activities.

Our commitment is to launch innovative projects and programs that promote my father’s teachings through the use of state-of-the-art communications technology. We have already initiated print media, audiovisual, and Internet projects. We are now exploring the use of advanced interactive communications technology to reach additional millions in other nations using many languages.

Through these and other initiatives, we will educate coming generations about applying my father’s philosophy and techniques of nonviolence as a way of life in the 21st century. We have established new partnerships with organizations and individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to help educate people all over the world in Kingian Nonviolence. We will continue  to authorize and advise fellow nonprofits, community-based organizations and government agencies in their efforts to commemorate and promote the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. We have begun forming a global network of organizations that have missions similar to that of the King Center, and together we will build the Beloved Community of my father’s dream.

This is an exciting time in the evolution of the King legacy. The road ahead of us is long and challenging. And though my father and mother were not able to get there with us, we will “get to the Promised Land” and create the Beloved Community using his philosophy and methods of nonviolence. With your help and God’s blessing, we will make this beautiful dream a radiant reality.

Mr. Dexter Scott King
Chairman - The Martin Luther King, Jr. for Nonviolence and Social Change