As MLK holiday nears, Bernice King urges people to really focus on his teachings

ATLANTA (AP) — As the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. approaches, his daughter is urging people to really focus on his teachings and work throughout the coming year, rather than just quoting him or celebrating for a day.

The Rev. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, spoke Tuesday as she kicked off a series of events — summits, service projects and educational opportunities — leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20. Coretta Scott King founded the King Center in 1968 to memorialize her husband's life, work, legacy and commitment to nonviolence.

As she outlined the plans for the King holiday observance and talked about the King Center's future, Bernice King reflected on violence and hardship in the world. She also spoke about the upcoming presidential inauguration of Donald Trump — which falls on the MLK holiday — and on the legacy of President Jimmy Carter.

Here are some of her observations.

How to truly honor MLK

“As we prepare for a new presidential administration — or a repeat in some ways — this King holiday, I am calling on all people of goodwill and conscience to do more than commemorate and celebrate King for a day," King said. "I’m calling us to do more than, quote King, which we love to do.”

So often, she said, people tell her they're doing something to further or honor her father's dream and work, but their actions or motivations don't always reflect his message.

“I always ask people, are you doing it in the spirit of Dr. King? You know, are you doing it from a compassionate place, from a love-centered place? Are you doing it in a way that respects the dignity and worth of all individuals?" she said.

In addition to honoring her father on the observance of his birthday, she called on people to pledge to work daily at “learning how to live together, together as brothers and sisters” and to commit daily “to embrace the spirit of nonviolence.”

Sharing the King holiday with Trump's inauguration

This will be the third time since the federal King holiday was first celebrated nearly 40 years ago that it has coincided with the presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama each were sworn in for their second terms on the holiday.

“I’m just glad it happened that way, that it’s not a day that he can be the star, which he loves to be,” King said of Trump. “He has to contend with that legacy on that day, regardless of how he manages it and handles it in his presentation. I hope those around him are advising him well to honor the day appropriately in his speech."

King said she encourages people to really amplify the teachings and work of her father and other civil rights leaders on the holiday.

Mission Possible

For this year's observance, the King Center has chosen the theme: “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.” On its website, the King Center says Noviolence365 is “a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation.”

These are challenging times that have left some people feeling hopeless because of economic uncertainty, dissatisfaction with election outcomes or pervasive violence, King said. This year's theme is meant to inspire people by reminding them that even though her parents and other civil rights activists faced “incredible obstacles” they were able to “shift the culture” and effect real change.

“It means that we have the capacity in our humanity to cultivate and protect freedom, justice and democracy," she said. “But we have to do it in the right spirit and that’s Nonviolence365, Kingian nonviolence.”

The best president?

King spoke fondly of Jimmy Carter, the former president who died last month at 100. She said she plans to attend his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday. While acknowledging it may not be a popular opinion, she said she believes he was the best president of her lifetime, perhaps ever. She called him “such a selfless, humble person who really cared about humanity.”

“Both President Jimmy Carter and my father showed us what is possible when your faith compels you to live and lead from a love-centered place,” King said.

King holiday events

As it does every year, the King Center has planned more than a week of events culminating in a commemorative service that will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church on the King holiday.

Other events include the Beloved Community Awards show, which the King Center says celebrates people and organizations that “exemplify excellence in leadership, pursue social justice, and who are helping to create the Beloved Community, as envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

There is also a workshop on nonviolence, a teach-in to educate schoolchildren about the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and a service project to assemble and provide care kits to people in need.