Martin Luther King Jr.

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MLK's Kids Bicker Over Spielberg Biopic

Siblings plan to fight Dexter King's sale of movie rights to their father's life

(Newser) - The sale of the movie rights to Martin Luther King Jr.'s life has revived the feud among his three surviving children, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King say their brother Dexter—chief executive of the King estate—only informed them of the plans for...

Spielberg Snags MLK Movie Rights

(Newser) - The first authorized biopic of Martin Luther King Jr. will be a Steven Spielberg production. The filmmaker's DreamWorks studio has obtained the rights from King's family, NPR reports. No word yet on whether Spielberg himself will direct or who will play the main role (Denzel? Jamie Foxx?). King’s children...

New Photos Bare Aftermath of King's Death

Life finally releases grim images taken after assassination

(Newser) - Newly published photographs by a Life magazine lensman capture the aftermath of the shocking assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including a motel worker sweeping away the blood of the civil rights crusader. Few journalists traveled to Memphis after the assassination, and Life declined to run the photos after his...

MLK Predicted Black US Prez in 'Less Than 40 Years'

BBC unearths 1964 talk with civil rights leader

(Newser) - The BBC has dug up an archival interview of Martin Luther King, Jr predicting a black US president "in less than 40 years." Talking to the BBC's Bob McKenzie in 1964, King said he was encouraged by recent changes, like compliance with the Civil Rights Act, "that...

Obama Visits Troops, Pitches In at Homeless Shelter

(Newser) - Barack Obama pitched in at a Washington emergency homeless shelter for teens today, as part of his pitch for greater public service, the AP reports. After touring the facility alongside Martin Luther King III, Obama rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and helped paint a wall in the...

MLK's Dream Now a Reality: 69% of Blacks

Majority of blacks say King's vision fulfilled; whites more skeptical

(Newser) - More than two-thirds of African Americans believe that the goals set out in Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech have been met, a CNN poll finds. That number has doubled since last March, to 69% from 34%. Although whites seem to still think race relations have...

Warren to Keynote MLK Service

One day before controversial inauguration address

(Newser) - Just a day before he makes his appearance at Barack Obama’s inauguration, Rick Warren will give the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Jr memorial service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, King's former home in Atlanta, the OC Register reports. While Obama has taken heat from gay marriage...

Belafonte, Sotheby's Cancel MLK Auction

King estate disputes ownership of papers

(Newser) - Sotheby's has canceled the auction of three Martin Luther King documents amid an ongoing feud between their owner—Harry Belafonte—and the King estate, the New York Times reports. MLK's heirs contend that Belafonte is not the rightful owner of the papers, which include an important King speech on Vietnam...

45 Years Later, JFK Theories Live On
 45 Years Later, 
 JFK Theories Live On 
BOOK REVIEW
Nov 23, 2008 3:20 PM CST

45 Years Later, JFK Theories Live On

New book on JFK assassination offers new ideas, little proof

(Newser) - In the canon of great conspiracy theories, the JFK assassination remains unquestionably king. The enduring national mystery has given rise to some of the most complicated explanations, and the theory offered by a new book is one of the more pleasingly convoluted, reports Vanity Fair in a look at Legacy ...

King Family Wants Cut of Obama-King Souvenir Cash

The dream may be passed down, but not the brand

(Newser) - The family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is demanding a share of the proceeds from the sudden wave of T-shirts, posters, and other merch pairing the civil rights leader with Barack Obama, the AP reports. Obama may have inherited the dream, but they own the brand, says the...

MLK's Kids Fight Over Letters
 MLK's Kids Fight Over Letters 
Oct 9, 2008 5:17 PM CDT

MLK's Kids Fight Over Letters

Judge orders Bernice to bring unpublished papers to court

(Newser) - Legal battles among Martin Luther King Jr's children drag on, this time over who gets mom and dad's unpublished correspondence. Yesterday, a judge ordered youngest daughter Bernice, the administrator of Coretta Scott King's estate, to bring to court letters and photos that sit at the heart of a disputed $1....

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight
After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight
OPINION
Aug 28, 2008 10:12 AM CDT

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight

Voting Rights Act paved the way for Obama's candidacy, writes Caro

(Newser) - As Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination tonight, author Robert A. Caro will be remembering another speech: Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address to Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that speech, which reduced Martin Luther King to tears, LBJ "adopted the great anthem of the civil...

MLK Children: Lawsuit Defends Dad's Legacy

Accusations fly as estranged siblings take dispute public

(Newser) - Martin Luther King's children are blaming each other for the uncharacteristically public standoff that led two of them to sue the third over management of their father's estate, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The deaths of the family peacekeepers, mother Coretta and sister Yolanda, helped expose the rift. "Strong parents...

MLK Children Fight Over Estate
 MLK Children Fight Over Estate 
Jul 12, 2008 7:36 AM CDT

MLK Children Fight Over Estate

Family dispute over civil rights hero's estate goes public

(Newser) - Two of Martin Luther King Jr.'s three surviving children are taking their brother to court, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Bernice and Martin King III say Dexter, president of the corporation that oversees the civil rights hero's intellectual property rights, has mishandled company funds and wrongfully taken money from their...

MLK's FIrst Grandchild Born
 MLK's FIrst Grandchild Born 
May 26, 2008 7:48 AM CDT

MLK's FIrst Grandchild Born

Yolanda Renee born to Martin Luther King III and wife

(Newser) - The first grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr. was born yesterday morning in Atlanta to Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Yolanda Renee King is named after the civil rights leader's oldest child, who died last year. Baby Yolanda and mom are...

Panel Rips MLK Statue, Says He Looks Like a Dictator

Fed commission calls 28-foot sculpture too much like totalitarian art

(Newser) - A federal arts panel is demanding changes to a colossal statue of Martin Luther King Jr. planned for the heart of Washington because commissioners think King looks too "confrontational," almost like a dictator, reports the Washington Post. The 28-foot-tall statue is to be the centerpiece of a 4-acre...

As Cities Burned, James Brown Saved Boston

Documentary recalls unrest that followed King assassination

(Newser) - In the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, riots raged in many American cities. In Boston, where there had been unrest on the night of April 4, officials worried about the fallout of a James Brown concert scheduled for April 5 at a downtown arena. A new documentary...

Not an Icon, a Man
 Not an Icon, a Man 
Apr 4, 2008 6:41 PM CDT

Not an Icon, a Man

Would civil rights legend be controversial in today's political climate?

(Newser) - On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, the Washington Post looks past the legend at the multidimensional figure scholars and King's associates consider his true legacy. ”His challenge was much bigger than being nice," says historian Taylor Branch. "It was even bigger than race....

McCain Deems 1983 Vote Against MLK Day a 'Mistake'

Events marking 40th anniversary of civil-rights leader's death also draw Dems

(Newser) - John McCain apologized today for his 1983 Senate vote against a federal Martin Luther King holiday. Standing at the Memphis site where King was assassinated in 1968, McCain called his nay vote “a mistake,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports; McCain later voted for a state holiday in Arizona....

Obama, Wright Echo Early, Late MLK
 Obama, Wright Echo  
 Early, Late MLK 
OPINION
Apr 4, 2008 2:08 PM CDT

Obama, Wright Echo Early, Late MLK

Barack's pastor sounds like King near the end of his life

(Newser) - Barack Obama can easily be compared to the early Martin Luther King and his hopeful message of change prior to 1965, writes Michael Eric Dyson in the Los Angeles Times. But  it's Jeremiah Wright who most resembles King after that—when his message grew "angrier" and increasingly skeptical of...

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