Alveda King released the following statement after a violent carjacking attempt on her mother Mrs. Naomi King, widow of slain civil rights activist Rev. AD King; and death of her mentor of 28 years, Pastor Allen McNair.
Last weekend was amazing. My mother, Naomi King, was accosted in a carjack attempt, and my pastor and mentor Allen McNair died. Meanwhile, the should-be-helpful Million Man Marchers were in D.C. chanting “down with America and the Blue Klux Klan.”
If not for the grace of God and the wisdom and sanity taught by Mother, Pastor McNair, Daddy, Granddaddy and Uncle Martin Luther King Jr., I would have given way to despair. Still I encourage everyone to remain prayerful and undaunted.
In an open letter, Mother writes to her attacker: “I love you, I forgive you. … You did not scare me. … You frustrated me. … As a loving mother, when I looked into your eyes, I thought—you have been misguided.”
Mother went on to say that while there must be justice for the violent attack upon her person and property, we must seek solutions and opportunities for our youth so that others don’t choose this hopeless path that her attacker sought. This is the mission of the A.D. King foundation founded in her husband’s and my father’s honor.
I agree with Mother. We must care for the young, the sick, the elderly and downtrodden. This is the loving message of Jesus.
I was amazed but not surprised when Mother said: “Thinking of the attack, in a way at least what happened to me brings attention (to) those who need a voice. Now we must act.”
This is the message of our family, our King Family Legacy: Christ-centered faith hope and love, translated into powerful nonviolent conflict resolution.
As the weekend recedes and the challenges of today emerge, let us be encouraged, overcoming evil with good; forgiving one another and loving God, ourselves and others; and learning to live together as brothers and sisters, lest we perish as fools.
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