The Audacity of Dopes: The Children of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
You would think that one of the most important figures in American or world history’s words and images would be in the public domain – a lasting memorial to the good works and forward thinking philosophy of a hero who left the world a better place.
If you think this about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. you are sadly mistaken.
In just the latest fit of childish pique over the use of their father’s words, MLK’s adult children are acting like — children.
Stephen Spielberg would like to make a film about the civil rights hero, yet the rapacious greed of Dexter King, Bernice King, Yolanda King and Martin Luther King III may get in the way of a work of art that surely should be made.
Earlier this year, the King Kids sank to their lowest when they charged the non profit group building a memorial to their father on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. $800,000 to use MLK’s words and images:
The King family has long been criticized for insisting on payment for the use of their father’s name, image, speeches and virtually anything that they can claim for themselves or their foundation. The family reached a new low this week when it was revealed that they had been paid more than $800,000 by the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation for the use of King’s image and words on the planned King memorial on Washington’s Mall.
If a film were made about MLK’s kids, it might be called the Audacity of Dopes.
Just being the child of Martin Luther King, Jr. should have opened and continue to open doors that would be closed to most people. To think that such an historic, revered figure’s words – the very words that changed a nation and continue to inspire change in other parts of the world – could be held for ransom and the object of petty family squabbles is astonishing.
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy does not belong to his children alone – it belongs to the entire world. From the standpoint of the King brats, if that seems unfair, it says volumes about the content of their character.
To get these idiots out of the way of society being able to share and honor Dr. King’s legacy, the federal government should pay each one of the four chiselers $1 million. In exchange, the federal government would take control of and promise to maintain the King Center in Atlanta in much the same way presidential libraries are maintained. This would eventually mean a charitable organization’s involvement. Perhaps a seat or seats on its board could be reserved for King family members. The mission of the King Center should be education and social justice, not personal profit for a greedy bunch who can’t stand on their own.
The public, through the National Archives or the King Center would then have unfettered access to Dr. King’s legacy.
These King kids are just crass chiselers. If we can spend trillions on welfare for bankers and brokers, surely we could pay the King Kids $4 million to go crawl under a rock.
