The Rev. Bernice King and her father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
AP; PBS
King said that her father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is often remembered as a freedom fighter for equal rights and human rights. But she said he was most importantly a man of faith. She says he was a prophet and "faith leader" and it was "the spirit of God that infused that movement."
The faith community must continue to lead every movement for justice and equality, Bernice King said.
The opening service Wednesday included Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Sikh, and other Christian faith leaders celebrating King's legacy.
Other speakers are the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the National Cathedral; Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington; Rabbi Achonfeld of the Rabbinical Assembly; Imam Mohamed Magid of the Islamic Society of North America and others.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at 3:05 p.m. – nearly 50 years to the minute that Dr. King delivered his speech. It is thought that the president will address the daily concerns that remain obstacles to Dr. King's broad vision of a truly equal and accepting America.
Although former President George W. Bush, who is recovering from a recent heart procedure, is not attending Wednesday's 50th anniversary ceremony in Washington, he and his wife, Laura, say in a statement from Dallas that King's "I Have a Dream" speech challenged the nation to live up to its founding principles that all people are created equal.
Bush said the nation has come a long way – "yet our journey to justice is not complete" and there is still a need to take King's vision to every community in America.
More to come ... check back!
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