Martin Luther King III –
“The best is yet to come"

Boise State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Week drew to a close Friday night when Martin Luther King III spoke to a packed audience at the Student Union Jordan Ballroom.

This marks his second appearance at Boise State, the first time in 1990 when BSU held its first annual MLK week.

King III said Martin Luther King Jr. Day should not be a celebration, but a time to recommit ourselves to finish the work his father began.

"We can’t celebrate when 36 million people live in poverty in this nation."

King spoke of his father’s vision to eradicate the world of the "triple evils" of poverty, violence, and racism.

"Most of the problems we confront or are faced with could be resolved if we would address those issues," he said.

According to King, America’s objective should be to build bridges to work together and move the nation forward.

His father did not just have a dream; he had a vision, which should be a way of life, King said.

"We are a much better nation than the behaviors we exhibit."

King also criticized some of the government’s policies and decisions, particularly those post- 9/11 and the decision to go to war in Iraq. He said it should not be America’s responsibility to bring democracy to the world, especially when the world is not asking for it.

"We’ve got to continue to finance the war and as a result the people in the communities are suffering because we have to continue to allocate resources for a war that I don’t know how we are going to win," he said.

King concluded his speech by emphasizing his father’s mission to spread love and encouraged communities to continue to make great strides in change.

At a reception held earlier that day at the Idaho Black History Museum, King III also called for activism in communities.

"My hope is that when we appear we are standing still, strides are being made," he said.

The reception marked the unveiling of a bust of King Jr. sculpted by local Boise artist Dean Estes.

"It is always a humbling experience to be a part of receiving something in honor of my father," King III said.

The sculpture, part of Estes’ "Dancers that dance upon injustice" series, portrays King Jr. during a speech.

"I wanted to capture him speaking because that’s where his energy is," said Estes.

"His tools were his words, his weapons."

Marian Bekker
News Writer

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