Mothers Have Always Been Activists

As you honor my father today, please remember and honor my mother, as well. She was the architect of the King Legacy and founder of @TheKingCenter, which she founded two months after Daddy died. Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no #MLKDay. #MLK50Forward #MLK pic.twitter.com/qhwSnX9Qmh
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 15, 2018

We Have a Lot More Work to Do

“We have a lot more work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say ‘common struggle’ because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere.” 

Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s wife and fellow civil rights activist, made this pronouncement during the National LGBTQ Task Force conference in Atlanta in 2000. Can you imagine what her call to action would sound like today?

As the struggle to stand up to bigotry and discrimination continues 50 years after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, we can honor the legacy of both these great leaders through our own social activism throughout the year. 

As parents, our efforts are particularly powerful. Not only can we work for social change in the present moment, we can inspire and raise the children who will further the cause of justice in the future. 

What Can We Do?

• Buy books that teach our children about social justice and race and diversity.
• Talk to our children about race.
• Ask ourselves tough questions, like "can we really raise inclusive kids in segregated neighborhoods?" and "how to encourage cross-racial friendships among children?"
• Follow and support black women as leaders (this is particularly important for all of us who have been saying "thank you." 
• Donate to the King Center, founded by Coretta Scott King to train leaders and activists around the world in methods of nonviolent social change.
• LOCAL! Expose our kids to African American history in San Francisco by visiting the African American Freedom Trail.
• LOCAL! Visit the Museum of the African Diaspora in the Yerba Buena Arts District to learn about the history, art, and culture resulting from the movement of Africans and people of African descent throughout the world. 

There's so much left to do. See you out there.