“You know, when you've idolized something, you put it on a shelf, lift it up, and when King Day comes out, you pull it out and show it. Or when Black History Month comes out, you show it, or when April 4th or other times, you show it. But, you see, Dad wouldn't want us to idolize.”

American human rights activist and philanthropist

Martin Luther King III is an American human rights activist and philanthropist. Born in 1957, he is the second child and eldest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He served as the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1997 to 2004. As of 2024, he is a professor of practice at the University of Virginia. His public work reflects a continuing focus on civil rights, human dignity, and social justice.