170131 King Daughter 1

James Neiss/staff photographer
Niagara Falls, NY - Martin Luther King's daughter, Dr Bernice King was the keynote speaker at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University as part of NU's annual MLK celebration.

Press Release:
Speech by Daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Highlights NU’s MLK Celebration

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. (January 12, 2017) – Niagara University’s annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will include a plethora of activities, the centerpiece of which is a keynote address by the late civil rights leader’s youngest daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King.

Dr. Bernice King, the chief executive officer of the King Center, will speak at 5 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Niagara University’s Castellani Art Museum. There is no cost to attend the public event, which is co-sponsored by Niagara University’s President’s Office and the Niagara University Student Government Association.

Born the youngest daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Dr. Bernice King began her oratorical journey when she spoke in her mother’s stead at the United Nations at age 17. Over the years, she has had the occasion to speak in such places as the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, major corporations and universities, and in places throughout the world, including South Africa, Germany and New Zealand, to name a few.

Through her work at the King Center, Dr. Bernice King has continued to educate youth and others about the nonviolence principles modeled by her parents, a philosophy and methodology that provides the knowledge, skills and motivation necessary for people to pursue peaceful strategies for solving personal and community problems.

In April 2008, Dr. Bernice King was one of the 15 delegates selected to meet Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the United States and, in 2015, she attended Pope Francis’ visit to the White House, as did Niagara University’s president, the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Bernice King speak at Niagara University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King event honoring the incredible legacy of her father,” said Averl Harbin, NU’s director of multicultural affairs. “Dr. King, like her father, embraces the critical principles of community, mentorship and care for others, values that Niagara University upholds as part of its Catholic and Vincentian mission.”

Below is the full schedule of activities coordinated by Niagara University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs in observance of the federal holiday that marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.