(Photo Credit: Google Images)
In “What in the Hell” news, the blogosphere is buzzing with news that the children of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are at odds over selling the icon’s Nobel Peace Prize and Bible.
Dana Ford of CNN reports:
“The estate of the civil rights icon filed a complaint in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Friday to force Bernice King, his daughter, to turn over the items. King’s heirs agreed in 1995 to give up their inheritance to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., the complaint reads. Bernice King has “repeatedly acknowledged and conceded the validity” of the agreement, but has “secreted and sequestered” the items in question, it says.”
Responding to the accusations, Bernice King wrote an op-ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here is an excerpt from the editorial below:
EXCERPT
“On January 20, as we observed my father’s 85th birthday and The King Holiday, my brothers, Dexter Scott King and Martin Luther King, III, notified me that they want to sell to a private buyer our father’s most prized possessions, his Nobel Peace Prize Medal and his personal Bible which was used by President Barak Obama as he was sworn in for his second term in office and subsequently signed by him. I am absolutely opposed to the selling of these extremely sacred items and I expressed my opposition to my brothers. Although these items have been under my care and custody for the past few years, they have remained in a safe and secure location since my father’s assassination, and my mother’s death in 2006. After I refused to immediately transfer these items to another location at their request, consequently on January 31 my brothers through The Estate of Martin L. King, Jr., Inc filed a lawsuit {Civil Action No. 2014cv241929} to force me to turn these items over for the express purpose of selling them. In my opinion, there is no justification for selling either of these sacred items. They are priceless and should never be exchanged for money in the marketplace. Â
While I love my brothers dearly, this latest decision by them is extremely troubling.  Not only am I appalled and utterly ashamed, I am frankly disappointed that they would even entertain the thought of selling these precious items. It reveals a desperation beyond comprehension. As Mark 8:36 teaches, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Our Father MUST be turning in his grave.”Â
END OF EXCERPT
Based on that op-ed, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Surely an op-ed will be coming from Dexter and Martin III. It’s a shame that the MLK children of a man that gave his life for peace, are unable to solve their differences without the use of media.
Read the editorial in its entirety at AJC.com.
Like The Burton Wire on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
This makes me very sad. The only reason I would accept would be to a reputable museum like the Smithsonian.
Comments are closed.