IRVING, Texas (NEXSTAR) — At just 15 years old, the only grandchild of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote “We Dream a World: Carrying the Light From My Grandparents Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.” The work by Yolanda Renee King is a picture book published this month, and described by her as a love letter to her grandparents.
Nexstar aired a special featuring Yolanda King called “A Granddaughter’s Dream,” a tribute to King’s grandparents, across all of its owned or partner television stations in January to coincide with the national celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
Reporter/Anchor Donna Terrell of KLRT-TV (Fox16) in Little Rock, Arkansas, travelled to Atlanta, where she sat down for an in-depth interview with Ms. King and her mother, Arndrea Waters King, President of the Drum Major Institute. The interviews took place on the campus of Spelman College, a historically black college, attended by five generations of women in the King family.
During the interview, the fierce and determined teenager said she believed that she had been called to fulfill her grandfather’s dream, discussed the influence of the grandparents she never met and the significance of the King family legacy. Ms. King said it is time for a new generation to pick up the torch and raise their voices.
She has been raising her voice since the age of nine, captivating crowds around the country. Last year, Ms. King delivered the keynote address at Clemson University’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, saying of her grandparents, “I feel that somehow, they are with me and that our spirits are joined in the quest for a just, loving and peaceful world. I am very proud to be their granddaughter, but I am also challenged by their inspiring legacy of vision, courage and their competent leadership. And I know that I’m not alone.”
In addition to the special programming being offered by Nexstar and its partner television stations, the Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation announced it will donate $10,000 to the Drum Major Institute to commemorate this year’s holiday and the legacy of Dr. King.
