A new King: Martin Luther King III takes the helm at organization his father founded

Ebony, Jan, 1998 by Kevin Chappell

The timeworn wooden floor lets out a spirited cry as Martin Luther King III maneuvers his big frame from room to room of the venerable Atlanta headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It seems almost as if the squeaky floor is trying to get his attention, possibly to tell him something, maybe to remind him of the giant steps of his father who founded the organization and walked and dreamed here before him.

It's enough to intimidate anyone, even a King, especially a King, but not this King, who grew up so close to the movement that he not only knows the seductive power of leadership, but also its shortcomings. As a result, he has vowed not to let his name, flashes of his father's voice or mannerisms, his ego or anything else get in his way when he officially begins his position as SCLC's fourth president on Jan. 15.

"Black folks have historically had a `messiah' complex," he says. "Where's the messiah? Oh, the king is coming to save us.' I'm not into developing and continuing that trend. It's not about Martin King and my being the messiah. It's about Martin King building a team that tackles issues one by one. We will stay focused and stay on point on that issue until we resolve it, then we move on to the next one. It's about Martin King being able to use the wisdom of those who are older and the energy of those who are younger to accomplish a goal. Teams win. Individuals don't."

King knows that such a wholistic approach will mean that he will have to work even harder to turn people--even his supporters--into true believers of his leadership ability.

"I didn't take on this responsibility and challenge and opportunity very easily, and in fact, it took me about five months to come to the conclusion that this is what I wanted to do," says the 40-year-old King. "As I talked to [SCLC] board members, I was in a sense drafted. Many of the board members said, `Listen, we really need you. We really need your leadership. We need you to take us into the 21st century.' I am proud to be a part of the history and legacy of SCLC, but I also know that this is an opportunity and challenge, more than anything else. And God willing, I'll be up for the challenge."

He already has his share of critics, who are quick to point out that he's not his father and that he may lack the charisma to lead the national protest organization with a 40-year history of leadership by preachers, including its second president, the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, a Baptist minister, and its third president, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a United Methodist minister. King is not a minister, but he's not worried either.

"The question will always be raised, `How is your leadership compared to your father's?' There is nothing I can do to prevent people from drawing that line since this is the organization he started. . . ," he says. "There is always going to be that delineation.... But I understand that you have to prove yourself to people. I believe that aD of the skeptics over a period of time will be supportive."

Nevertheless, King says he plans to reach out to everybody, including the naysayers, "Because we need them, too. We don't have a person to lose."

He is already beginning to mention the issues he will tackle. He talks about the evils of racism, violence and cutbacks in affirmative action and welfare programs. It's time, he says, for America to once-and-for-all do right by Blacks, and for Blacks to do right by themselves, their families and their communities. There is also a need to create leadership training institutes that will train young people across the country to assume positions of leadership in the civil rights community, he says.

But before he does anything, he intends to conduct a thorough needs assessment to pinpoint where SCLC's strengths and weaknesses are, to gauge the pulse of the nation and to lay out exactly what his message should be and what vehicle he should use to get that message across. More than anything else, he wants his work to be relevant, producing results that African-Americans can readily identify with.

King will undoubtedly work closely with his younger brothel; Dexter King, the president of the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in America. Dexter says he is proud of his older sibling. "I'm very excited, elated over the fact that he is being given this opportunity to really make a difference, to pick up the mantle of the spiritual organization of the King legacy which has had such a productive past, accomplishing so much in the way of changing the course of history," he says. "I think my brother has the unique ability to build bridges and coalitions that are much needed at this time. His leadership comes at a time that is critical. The timing could not be better."

Dexter, who has received much attention recently for expressing his belief that convicted killer James Earl Ray did not assassinate his father (the same belief that Martin holds), says he has offered the following advice to his brother: "Do what you feel is right. Certainly there are going to be detractors, certainly there are going to be those who don't understand where you're going, but as long as you know you are doing the right thing and you are traveling the right road, everything will work out."