2017 FA Bernice King

The National Civil Rights Museum's 2017 Freedom Award honoree, Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King (Be A King) is the Chief Executive Officer of The King Center, which was founded by her mother, in 1968. She was appointed to this position in January 2012 by the Board of Trustees. Nationally and internationally known as one of the most powerful, motivating and life-changing orators and speakers on the circuit today, Bernice leaves her audiences speechless and challenges people to RAISE THE STANDARD. Born the youngest daughter of the late Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bernice began her oratorical journey when she spoke in her mother’s stead at the United Nations at age 17. Over the years, she has had the occasion to speak in such places as The White House, DuPont Corp., Warner-Lambert Corporation, AT&T, NIKE, USANA Health Sciences, University of Toledo, Xavier University, University of North Carolina, Duke University, Pepperdine University, Department of Defense, Salvation Army, and in such places as Sydney, Australia, Lubeck, Germany, Auckland, New Zealand and South Africa to name a few. In the summer of 2000, she narrated the “Lincoln Portrait” along with a symphony orchestra in Keil, Germany at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.
Bernice is a graduate of Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Law Degrees from Emory University. She has also received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from Wesley College. She is currently a member of the State Bar of Georgia. On January 30, 2007, the 1st year anniversary of her mother’s death, Bernice returned to her alma-mater at Spelman College to announce the establishment of the “Be A King Scholarship in honor of Coretta Scott King.”
Bernice serves on the HOPE Southeastern Board of Directors of Operation HOPE and the Board of the inaugural Regions Diversity Advisory Council for Regions Financial.
Through her work at the King Center, Bernice has continued to educate youth about the Kingian Nonviolence principles modeled by her parents. In 2012, she implemented an annual N.O.W. Encounter Summer Youth Camp which has trained youth from as far as Cyprus, Greece. This year, as she continued her parent’s legacy, she spearheaded the global events that took place in Washington, DC to commemorate the August 28, 2013, 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and her father’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Additionally, last month, in the spirit of her father, she was an instrumental factor in helping Aboriginals and others in Vancouver, Canada understand the importance of forgiveness, unconditional love and reconciliation, when she spoke to a crowd of over 75,000 people.
Bernice founded Be A King, whose mission is to re-brand and re-image generations of people to elevate the way they Think, Act, Live, and Lead. In September 2007, she launched the first Be A King Summit in Montgomery, Alabama on the campus of Alabama State University. Through Be A King she hopes to develop a nation of young people who will impact the global marketplace and transform the world culture with a KINGdom mindset.
As an author, she has to her credit, her book, Hard Questions, Heart Answers, a compelling and inspiring book.