Martin Luther King’s Niece Calls For Unity, Healing In Light of Ice Protests

As the nation paused to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, violent anti-ICE protests continued. His niece, Alveda King, reminded Americans that her uncle consistently advocated nonviolent protest rather than heated rhetoric or physical confrontation.

Just a day before, on Sunday, the situation in Minnesota escalated when former CNN journalist Don Lemon and others invaded a Southern Baptist church. Videos showed children in the congregation crying while activists confronted members of the congregation. The scenes shocked the nation and even led to the liberal Washington Post newspaper to publish an editorial condemning the protesters.

King referenced the event in her interview.

“With the situation of ICE and the attempt to bring anarchy under control, of course there would be some disturbance or disagreement on both sides,” King told The Christian Post. “Don Lemon may not remember that Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged nonviolence and, as a youth organizer in the 1960s, we were taught to be nonviolent and to protest peacefully.”

King also noted that her uncle understood the necessity of law enforcement in certain circumstances.

“So, Martin Luther King Jr. did support peaceful, nonviolent protest,” she said. “However, there were times when he was aware that the National Guard was needed, for example. And of course, the presence of the National Guard helped to quell the storms. And so, if my uncle were here today, I truly believe he would remind us we must learn to live together as brothers – and I will add, as sisters – and not perish together as fools.”

In additional remarks made around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, King reiterated that prayer and faith-based responses are essential during times of unrest. Speaking with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, she urged restraint and spiritual unity, saying communities must resist the urge toward retaliation and instead seek moral clarity through faith.

“My prayers go out to all of the families and all of the people involved in any cases of civil unrest,” King said, adding that people should avoid turning institutions or entire groups into enemies.

King also reflected on her family’s personal experiences during the civil-rights movement, recalling that her childhood home in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed. She said her father and uncle responded not by escalating tensions but by urging prayer and calm.

“When people begin to pray together, to sing together, to worship, things do calm down,” King told the Spokesman-Recorder, noting that the lessons learned during that era still apply today.

Last year, King urged the nation to come together “to support one another, recognizing that we are all one blood, one human race, from the womb to the tomb and beyond.” As the spiritual and cultural divide in the United States continues to widen, she expressed optimism that change is possible with God’s help.

“I believe with God, all things are possible,” she told The Christian Post. “My classic example of that is George Wallace, who at one time was a very virulent, racist governor [of Alabama]. Before he passed away, he repented of all of his sins and he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.”

King stressed that forgiveness remains central to healing both present conflicts and historical wounds.

“I have a favorite scripture to answer that,” she said. “It starts in Mark 11: ‘Have faith in God, and when you pray, believe and you can have what you say; and when you pray, forgive, so that your heavenly father can forgive you.'”

Other members of the King family echoed similar themes during this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances. Bernice King, Dr. King’s daughter and CEO of The King Center, said the holiday serves as a moral anchor amid deep political and cultural division.

She described the day as “somewhat of a saving grace” for the nation, saying it brings “a sense of sanity and morality into our very troubling climate right now.” Bernice King emphasized that her father’s teachings on disciplined nonviolence and service remain relevant not only for protesters, but also for leaders, institutions and communities seeking justice without chaos.

The city continues to experience continuing protests.

-Alan Goforth