In her new children’s book, “We Dream a World,” Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, shares her grandparents’ legacy with the next generation.
In the book, the 15-year-old encourages young readers to dream and to connect with dreamers, past and present.
“You were gone before I came into this world, but that dream and so many others lives deep inside me,” King writes in the book. And despite her young age, she has become an activist in her own right, following in the footsteps of her grandparents.
At the age of 9, she took part in March For Our Lives, a rally advocating against gun violence. Now, King the daughter of Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters (King) wants to inspire the next generation to fight for their beliefs.
King explained that while paying tribute to them and their contributions, the book also delves into the possibilities present in the world. “Yes, we can still have this world, and I want to provide encouragement for that. To overcome this challenge, we must exert considerable effort and remain resilient.”
The young author revealed in an interview with “CBS Mornings” that MLK was brought into the Civil Rights fight by her grandmother Coretta.
“Before my grandfather joined the movement, she was involved in the peace movement on college campuses in the 40s, she revealed, surprising many people unaware of this fact. When they first met, she encouraged my grandfather to get involved in the movement, and she was the one who actually got him involved.”
The decidedly dual approach to penning the book to highlight the dreams of both of her grandparents is a major nod to the women involved in the Civil Rights movement. She points out that Black girls and women like Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Mamie Till-Mobley, and Ruby Bridges made clear contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. However, despite their important roles, their voices were frequently marginalized, both during their lifetimes and in the present day.
