Daughter of MLK Jr. to lead nonviolence campaign in Minnesota

Eager to share her father’s lessons, Dr. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was warmly welcomed to St. Paul Monday night inside the Union Gospel Mission’s men’s campus.

Over the next two days at the Martin Luther King Center, Dr. King will lead a campaign called Nonviolence 365 presented by Ujamaa Place - to empower men and women to establish a lifestyle that resolves conflict in constructive ways.

“It’s still ever-present, the importance of nonviolence and understanding what Dr. King stood for as far as resolving differences,” said Eric Clark, president of the Morehouse College Alumni Association Twin Cities.

In a display of gratitude for the honor of Dr. King’s timely visit, Mayor Chris Coleman proclaims Tuesday, Oct. 10, “Nonviolence 365 Day.”

“We’re seeing a rise in violence in cities across the country,” Mayor Coleman said. “There’s too many guns on the street that need to be dealt with; we need sensible, common sense gun laws in the country. But we also need kids to understand there’s a different path and they don’t have to choose violence.”

Dr. Charles Morgan, the CEO of Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, said the campaign tugs at the heart of current racial and political tensions.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to engage some of the problems we have locally that have national implications,” Morgan said.

Dr. Bernice King’s campaign also provides an essential reminder: her father used peaceful methods to emphasize the humanity, dignity and moral value of the oppressed.

“She knows intimately and experientially what it means to be committed to a cause that may cost you something, and I think today it’s really important to realize if we really want meaningful change, we can’t stand on the sideline and expect it to happen,” Morgan said.