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OCC 2024 MLK Convocation: “The Fierce Urgency of Now”
A Conversation with Dr. Bernice A. King at Virtual Event Jan. 8
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Dec. 13, 2023 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, Dr.
Bernice A. King, will be the speaker for Oakland Community College’s MLK Convocation on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 from 4:30 - 6 p.m. At the virtual event, Dr. Bernice A. King will discuss “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” continuing the conversation her father started during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act.
In her father’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action."
Dr. King's words were more than just rhetoric. He was urging all of us to combine forces
to impact change -- change where it matters in our communities and in the world -- where inactivity lends itself to inequality. Action lends itself to change.
During this online event, Dr. Bernice A. King will discuss how the social landscape of
today, with all its challenges, compares to the prevailing issues her father spoke to during the Civil Rights Movement. The fierce urgency of now is to advocate for equality, use our power in multiple ways and combine our actions to accelerate the change we want to see.
She will also reflect on how far we have come in six decades, and the work that must
still be done to achieve the diversity, equity, inclusion and justice of which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed.
Event Details
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Date: Monday, January 8, 2024
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Time: 4:30 – 6 p.m.
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Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Agenda
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Chancellor Remarks | Peter Provenzano, OCC Chancellor
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“Lift Every Voice and Sing” | Aria Wells, OCC Student
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“A Conversation with Dr. Bernice A. King”
- Audience Q&A
Visit OCC 2024 MLK Convocation for more information and to register for the virtual event.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Bernice A. King is a global thought leader, strategist, solutionist, orator, peace
advocate, and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social
Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother as the official
living memorial to the life, work, and legacy of her father. In this position,
Bernice continues to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change
through policy, advocacy, research, as well as education & training through
the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence, which she re-branded Nonviolence365™️
(NV365).
Through her work at The King Center, she educates youth and adults around the world about the nonviolent principles and strategies modeled by her parents. Under her
leadership, the Center has implemented numerous initiatives reaching over
500,000 people around the world, including the Beloved Community Leadership
Academy, Students with King, NV365 Education & Training, and The Beloved
Community Talks, a courageous conversations platform about the difficult racial
and social justice issues impacting our world. Dr. King led the development of
an NV365 certification program for trainers, which provides individuals with
the opportunity to teach the NV365 curriculum on behalf of The King Center. She
is an instructor for the program and a trainer.
Dr. King received both a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) Degree from
Emory University, and a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Spelman College.
From 1990 -1992 she served as a law clerk for Judge Glenda Hatchett, the Chief
Judge of The Fulton County Juvenile Detention Court. She served for seven years
as an Assistant Pastor of Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Atlanta where
she organized and developed several new ministries. In 2007, she established
the “Be A King Scholarship” in honor of her mother at Spelman College. Dr. King
spearheaded the 2013 “Let Freedom Ring” event commemorating the 50th
Anniversary of The March on Washington and her father’s “I Have a Dream”
speech. The global event included President Barack Obama, President Bill
Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter, members of Congress, as well as many other
international leaders, dignitaries, and entertainers. In March 2018, Dr. King
was fortunate to have a private audience with his holiness, Pope Francis. In
2020, she was influential in encouraging Atlanta Business leaders to actively
support major racial equity and social justice issues, including the successful
passage of Georgia's Hate Crime legislation.
She has received numerous awards and recognitions. She is the recipient of two Phoenix Awards. She received her first in 2020 from The Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, where The Phoenix Award recognizes individuals who have made
significant contributions to society and is their highest award. The second
Phoenix Award was received in 2023 from the City of Atlanta. It recognizes
outstanding achievements and service to the city, state, nation, and world, and
is the highest award an individual or group can receive from the Mayor of the
City of Atlanta. In addition to these awards, in 2021, she received the Atlanta
Business Chronicle Lifetime Achievement Award for Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion. She also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Wesley College and Clinton College, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Spelman College, and an
honorary Doctor of Laws from Grinnell College. As a noted author, she has to her credit, “Hard Questions, Heart Answers,” as well as a children’s book entitled “It Starts with Me,” which is a part of The King Center’s Be Love movement.
Dr. King is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, admitted since 1992; a registered
mediator through the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution; a member of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA), the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the
International Women’s Forum (IWF), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW),
and the 50th Anniversary class of Leadership Atlanta (2020); a board member of
The King Center, and The National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF). Dr. King is
also Advisory Council Chair for Ready Life, a Fintech (Financial Technology)
Services company that provides a novel pathway to home ownership without a
credit score. Additionally, she serves as Senior Vice President of Corporate
Strategy and Alliance for Redemption Holdings, an investor Company acquiring an
existing profitable bank to build a tech-enabled minority focused financial
institution (A Black Bank).
Dr. King is an innovative, inspirational, and transformational leader. She is devoted to
advancing the legacy of her parents, and to ensuring that new generations of
influencers are introduced to their teachings, The King Center, as well as the
work of creating the Beloved Community, with Nonviolence365 as the pathway.
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers nearly 100 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling with face-to-face and online options. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training with expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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