Bernice King called this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday “somewhat of a saving grace,” saying it restores a sense of morality amid deep political division. She warned that her father’s “three evils” — poverty, racism and militarism — remain relevant, criticized policy moves she views as rolling back civil-rights gains, and urged nonviolence for both protesters and law enforcement. King also encouraged inward reflection and year-round service to carry forward Dr. King’s teachings.
MLK Day a 'Saving Grace,' Bernice King Says — A Call To Nonviolence, Service And Reflection
Bernice King speaks during an interview, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Against a backdrop of intense political division and upheaval, the Rev. Bernice King — daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta — said this year’s holiday honoring her father feels like “somewhat of a saving grace.”
“I say that because it inserts a sense of sanity and morality into our very troubling climate right now,” Bernice King told The Associated Press.
“With everything going on, the one thing that I think Dr. King reminds people of is hope and the ability to challenge injustice and inhumanity.”
The observance coincides with the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s second term. King warned that the “three evils” her father named in 1967 — poverty, racism and militarism — remain present and are being felt in current policy and political rhetoric.
As head of the King Center, she pointed to several developments she finds troubling: efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs; directives to remove certain historical material from government websites and to purge what officials describe as “improper ideology” from museums; and immigration enforcement operations in multiple cities that have at times turned violent and led to family separations.
Bernice King poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, defended the administration’s actions in an email: “Everything President Trump does is in the best interest of the American people. That includes rolling back harmful DEI agendas, deporting dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities, or ensuring we are being honest about our country’s great history.”
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights — one of the nation’s oldest and largest civil-rights coalitions — said Bernice King’s remarks “ring more true today.” Wiley added that the administration has, in her view, been dismantling civil-rights advances with ideological intent.
Wiley also recalled Dr. King’s warning that an expansive focus on war abroad could undermine the possibility of a beloved community and divert resources from caring for people at home. The article noted recent U.S. military actions, including strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling and what it described as a surprise raid earlier this month that led to the capture of Venezuela’s president.
Bernice King said she cannot be certain how her father would evaluate the United States nearly six decades after his assassination. “He's not here. It's a different world,” she said. “But what I can say is his teachings transcend time and he taught us, I think, the way to address injustice through his nonviolent philosophy and methodology.”
Bernice King poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
King stressed that nonviolence must be embraced broadly — not only by protesters and activists but also by immigration agents and other law-enforcement officers. The King Center previously developed a nonviolence curriculum and now plans to update it so officers can better carry out their duties while respecting human dignity.
Despite her concerns, Bernice King emphasized the progress the nation has made since the civil-rights movement: greater inclusion in mainstream politics and a wider base of people committed to sensitivity and compassion. “The inevitability is we're so far into our diversity you can't put that back in a box,” she said.
To honor Dr. King’s legacy, she urged inward reflection and sustained action. She encouraged participation in service projects — which foster connection and understanding — and suggested using each MLK Day as a measuring point to track year-to-year progress toward a more just, humane, equitable and peaceful society.
Associated Press writer Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this report.
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