King Center for Nonviolent Social Change

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, commonly known as The King Center, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in Atlanta, United States.

Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Founded1968
FounderCoretta Scott King
FocusNonviolent Social Change
Location
President
Bernice King
Websitethekingcenter.org

History

The center was founded in 1968 by Coretta Scott King.[1] King started the organization in the basement of the couple's home in the year following the 1968 assassination of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1981, the center's headquarters were moved into the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site facility on Auburn Avenue which includes King's birth home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached from 1960 until his death.[2]

In 1977, a memorial tomb was dedicated, and the remains of Martin Luther King Jr. were moved from South View Cemetery to the plaza that is nestled between the center and the church. Martin Luther King Jr.'s gravesite and a reflecting pool are also located next to Freedom Hall. Mrs. King was interred with her husband on February 7, 2006.

In 2012, King's youngest child, Bernice King, became the CEO.[3]

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Tomb in the Sweet Auburn district, preserved at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

Programs

The organization carries out initiatives on both the domestic and international level. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is dedicated to research, education and training in the principles, philosophy and methods of Kingian nonviolence.[4]

Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize is awarded by the King Center.[5]

A non-exhaustive list of recipients includes: Cesar Chavez (1973); Stanley Levison and Kenneth Kaunda (1978); Rosa Parks (1980); Martin Luther King Sr. and Richard Attenborough (1983); Corazon Aquino (1987); Mikhail Gorbachev (1991); and, on April 4, 2018 – the 50th anniversary of King's assassination – Ben Ferencz and Bryan Stevenson.[5][6]

References
  1. Gary L. Anderson, Kathryn G. Herr, Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice, SAGE Publications, USA, 2007, p. 804
  2. Paul Finkelman, Encyclopedia of African American History: 5-Volume Set, Oxford University Press USA, USA, 2009, p. 97
  3. BJ, Bernice King named King Center CEO, bizjournals.com, USA, January 9, 2012
  4. The King Center, About The King Center, thekingcenter.org, USA, retrieved October 10, 2020
  5. Umontuen, Itoro (2018-04-04). "The King Center honors 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize recipients". The Atlanta Voice. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  6. "Commemorative Services". The King Center. Archived from the original on 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
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