Martin Luther King III's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
As President and Chief Executive Officer of the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King, III is carrying the torch lit by his late father Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into the 21st century. Martin's dedication to creating and implementing strategic nonviolent action to rid the world of social, political, and economic injustice has propelled him to the forefront as one of the nation's most ardent advocates for the poor, the oppressed, and the disillusioned.

An inspirational and motivating speaker, Martin King is equally comfortable in high school gymnasiums, corporate boardrooms, and university lecture halls. In 1986 Mr. King was elected to political office as an at-large representative of over 700,000 residents of Fulton County, Georgia. His tenure on the Board of Commissioners was marked by strong ethics legislation, purification of the county’s natural water resources, legislation regulating minority business participation in public contracting, and stringent hazardous waste disposal requirements.

Mr. King is committed to the personal and educational development of youth and has initiated several programs throughout the years to support and nurture young people. Among them are the King Summer Intern Program designed to provide employment opportunities for high school students; Hoops for Health – a charity basketball game held to increase public awareness of newborns suffering the affects of substance abuse; and A Call to Manhood – an annual event designed to unite young African American males with positive adult role models. One of Mr. King’s ongoing collaborations is with the annual Kindness and Justice Challenge sponsored by Do Something, Inc.

Utilizing the principles of Kingian nonviolence, Martin King quietly exercised negotiation and persuasion to reach a compromise between Georgia legislators and leaders to change the state flag that was an offensive and divisive symbol for many Georgians. In the 1980's, Martin King was incarcerated for protesting against injustices in South Africa and for the release of freedom fighter Nelson Mandela.

Mr. King continued his fight for justice throughout the 1990's by addressing the moral and political dilemmas of Haiti, Nigeria, Australia, and Sierra Leone. He has led protests against the biased digital divide in the field of technology and has spoken to the United Nations on behalf of individuals living with the challenges of AIDS. In the spring of 2001, Mr. King hosted a series on the Wisdom Network cable channel entitled “The Wisdom of Dreams” The programs highlighted stories of individuals who were able to achieve extraordinary feats by steadfastly pursuing their dreams.

In 1998 Mr. King began his tenure as President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference where he aggressively fought injustice on many fronts. SCLC convened police brutality and racial profiling hearings in several states that led to the passage of anti-racial profiling resolutions. The Stop the Killing-End the Violence campaign was the anchor for the successful Gun Buy-Back program that collected over 10,000 weapons across the United States. In 2003, Martin King co-sponsored the 40th Anniversary of the historic March On Washington with human rights organizations from across the country. His experiences as a committed son of the civil rights movement give him a unique perspective concerning critical problems facing our nation and world.

More About Martin Luther King III . . .
Mr. King was born in Montgomery, Alabama, the second oldest of four children to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Throughout his life, Martin King has been nurtured among individuals deeply committed to the struggle for human rights and a nonviolent society. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Morehouse College, and is the recipient of numerous awards and several honorary degrees. In 2004, Martin Luther King, III began his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer of the King Center. Mr. King is deeply honored to serve as an ambassador of his father's legacy that has been institutionalized by his mother at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia.