Happy Martin Luther King Jr.
Day?
It’s Emile Ennis Jr. here with Clevver News and today we’re honoring the work that the
late, great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did during the Civil Rights Movement and how his
children are continuing to keep his legacy alive and calling celebs out for their problematic
behavior.
As many of us know, before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s tragic assasination in 1968,
he helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream"
speech.
He was one of the most prominent leaders during the civil rights era and his legacy continues
amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and non-violent activism.
And while many people are familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, not as many
people know about the impressive legacy his children have carried out since his untimely
death.
Dr. King has four children, Bernice King, Dexter King, Martin Luther King III, and Yolanda
King who sadly passed away in 2007.
All of Dr. King’s children have dedicated their lives to activism and human rights.
Bernice and MLK III, in particular, have also amassed huge followings on social media as
a part of their activism.
Bernice has almost 600,000 followers on Twitter and Martin Luther King III has almost 400,000.
They use these platforms to educate, honor their father, and connect with people all
over the world.
And along with being an activist and minister, Bernice is also the CEO of the Martin Luther
King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
Throughout the years, she has used her massive platform and voice to call out problematic
behavior, racism, and inequality.
She’s made it clear that while people may have different opinions about some things,
racism cannot be one of those things.
Bernice has also commented on matters going on in the world of pop culture, like cancel
culture.
Earlier this month, she said quote, “Some things being labeled as #CancelCulture are
actually examples of #Accountability.”
And when it comes to pop culture, Bernice also hasn’t been afraid to use her voice
to call out celebrities for questionable behavior.
Back in 2017, she called out Kendall Jenner’s controversial Pepsi commercial.
As I’m sure you remember, in April 2017 Kendall’s extremely out of touch commercial
both debuted and was pulled offline in a matter of days.
The ad came shortly after a series of Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
Unfortunately though, the commercial completely missed the mark and borrowed imagery from
this movement, but focused on people laughing, hugging, and high-fiving, rather than the
important message.
And in the climactic scene, a police officer accepts a Pepsi from Kendall, a white woman,
which sets off a celebration and gets an appreciative smile from the police officer.
Like we said, this ad was quickly pulled down, but not before it faced waves of backlash.
And one of those people to speak out was none other than Bernice King herself.
She took to Twitter and shared this powerful photo of her father and sarcastically wrote,
“If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi.”
And this wasn’t the only time that Bernice has used Twitter to call out a celeb for their
behavior.
In 2018, Cardi played the role of Martin Luther King Jr.'s late wife Coretta Scott King, in
a sketch called "Real Housewives of the Civil Rights Movement."
According to TMZ, the sketch was part of "Wild 'N Out" star Rip Michaels' show, "Off the
Rip."
Shortly after the sketch was released, Bernice King took to Twitter and wrote, “On the
55th anniversary of #IHaveADream, a clip on @TMZ depicts my parents (Cardi B playing my
mom) & great women of the Civil Rights Movement in a repulsive, false light.
They paid an extraordinary price so people of color can have a platform- & this is how
you use it.
@iamcardib: Let's talk.”
Bernice’s brother, Martin Luther King III, also spoke to TMZ about the sketch saying
he was also upset about the timing because it distracts from several more important issues.
Bernice eventually followed up with another tweet, after deleting the first one, and revealed
that Cardi did in fact reach out to apologize.
Bernice wrote, “Thank you, @iamcardib, for reaching out to me and apologizing for the
skit that aired on @TMZ.
I look forward to talking with you soon.”
Looks like Cardi learned her lesson in this situation and we’re glad to see Dr. King’s
children keeping his legacy alive and holding everyone, even celebrities, accountable.
If you want more on celebs celebrating Martin Luther King Day, click right over here for
another Clevver News video.
Also, feel free to share how you’re honoring Dr. King today down in the comments below.
I’m your host Emile Ennis Jr., bye guys!