King Center for Nonviolent Social Change

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King Tomb in the Sweet Auburn district, preserved at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1968 by Coretta Scott King. King started the organization in the basement of the couple's home in the year following the 1968 assassination of her husband, Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1981, the center's headquarters were moved into the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, a multimillion-dollar facility on Auburn Avenue which includes King's birth home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached from 1960 until his death.

In 1977, a memorial tomb was dedicated, and the remains of Martin Luther King, Jr. were moved from South View Cemetery to the plaza that is nestled between the center and the church. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s gravesite and a reflecting pool are also located next to Freedom Hall. Mrs. King was interred with her husband on February 7, 2006.

Current activities

As of 2012, The King Center's current President and CEO is Bernice King. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization carries out initiatives on both the domestic and international level. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is dedicated to research, education and training in the principles, philosophy and methods of Kingian nonviolence.

Mission

It is the official living memorial dedicated to fulfill the following purpose:

To develop a family of leaders who personify the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in their own lives and apply the philosophy of nonviolence to the problems and issues of the community, the nation and the world.

To have The King Center’s staff, officers, directors, and advisors reflect in their lives, the philosophy and spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and become the “Beloved Community” through their work together.

To educate and train top institutional leaders in the philosophy and methods of Kingian Nonviolence and its application to their own lives and to their institutionalized structures, philosophies and policies.

To be an agent of reconciliation in bringing together individuals, and leaders or groups, institutions and nations in the nonviolent resolution of conflict.

To have the spirit and principles of nonviolence manifesting themselves throughout the American culture.

To establish a generation of young people who are technically excellent and morally and spiritually mature, who personify in their lives and are capable of teaching the philosophy of “Kingian” Nonviolence.

To establish in the United States and throughout the world, a social order based on peace and justice, which will eliminate violence, racism, poverty and war, and to establish what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “Beloved Community.”

To champion freedom, justice, and equality by working to eliminate poverty, build community and foster peace through nonviolence.”

External links

• Official website mission statement