CLEVELAND — Dr. Bernice King, the youngest child of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was in Northeast Ohio on Thursday evening.
Dr. King was at Kent State University to serve as the keynote speaker for its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Afterwards, she sat down with 3News anchor and managing editor Russ Mitchell for a conversation that included thoughts on her parents' legacy, the death of Tyre Nichols, and more.
"We have to continue to fight forward," Dr. King said of her message to students. "We have to preserve what's been gained, but we have to continue to advance for the freedoms in our world."
King was just five-years-old when her father was assassinated. Many still remember her from a Pulitzer Prize-winning picture that was taken at her father's funeral in 1968. Today, she serves as chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
"I, as Dr. King's daughter, am able to benefit because of his sacrifice," she added. "It's very important that people understand there's more to Dr. King than the feelgood and quotable parts that fit our agendas."
The center was founded by Bernice King's mother, the late Coretta Scott King, as the official living memorial to the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King. "My mother was unbreakable," Bernice King said of her also-iconic mother. "She had a very quiet strength and was dignified and determined in everything."
You can watch the complete interview with Russ Mitchell and Dr. Bernice King below.