Martin Luther King, Jr's fight for civil rights is not over, insists his niece Dr. Alveda King. Speaking at the 44th annual National Right to Life convention in Louisville, Ky., King explained that she is continuing her uncle's legacy because the presence of abortion shows that not all of us can enjoy that freedom for which he fought.
King encouraged the audience to chime in with her as she sang the last few verses of "How Great Thou Art" during her keynote speech for the NRLC prayer breakfast. Her faith took a prominent role throughout her address as she discussed how she is remembering the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act by carrying a pro-life message across the country.
King, the Director of African American Outreach for Priests for Life, insisted that her uncle was pro-life. Indeed, many of his quotes suggest he cherished the right to life: "We must all learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools." A post-abortive mother herself who had "secret abortions" her family didn't know about, King explained how her views on abortion gradually evolved.
"First I was saying 'save the babies!' But then I finally realized I was a victim. It's not just the babies - it's everyone."
King's fight for the vulnerable and helpless has led her on a number of different projects, such as Pro-Life Freedom Rides and even going to the clinic of convicted murderer/abortionist Kermit Gosnell to expose the atrocities in his "House of Horrors."
King also took an opportunity to respond to the Supreme Court's unanimous decision in McCullen v. Coakley to strike down pro-life buffer zones, which would have prevented pro-life sidewalk counselors from coming within 35 feet from abortion clinic entrances. King wouldn't have hesitated to take her fight for the unborn to these clinics and stand up for pro-lifers' free speech.
"I was ready to lay down and go to jail to end the buffer zone law."
One of Dr. King's pro-life specialties is engaging in African-American outreach. King has sent letters to the Congressional Black Caucus, encouraging legislators to consider unborn children as part of their constituency. She gives a simple, yet powerful reason for her advocacy:
"Black children are in danger."
In addition to pro-abortion activists, the media is also a worthy opponent to the cause King is championing. For instance, the major TV networks all but ignored the important Gosnell case and have given pro-life gatherings less-than-adequate coverage, while offering several minutes to Wendy Davis's pro-abortion filibuster and the subsequent protests in Austin that followed last summer. But, King insisted the media can no longer ignore the growing pro-life movement, especially considering its significant presence in DC this year.
"They cannot deny the hundreds of thousands in DC at the March for Life."
Near the end of her presentation, King played a video of her and Father Frank Pavone discussing their project, Rights50.com, to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. They are hoping to expand those rights to unborn children. Watch the one-minute clip here as King explains why "The baby in the womb is like a slave":
King concluded her speech as she commenced it, singing an uplifting hymn with the crowd, this time belting out "This Little Light of Mine."
King will continue to spread that light here in Kentucky and all around the country, because it is clear that we are not all free at last.