the passing away of Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King Junior
23 May 2007
The passing of Yolanda King, the first-born child of the late civil rights
leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the late Coretta Scott-King, leaves us
with heavy hearts.
From far away in KwaZulu-Natal, our hearts bleed because one of our own has
departed for the great yonder. Matters of life and death may remain a mystery
to mere mortals like ourselves. This mysteriousness is however the very energy
which drives us closer to an appreciation of the power of God.
It is impossible that lives so committed to the liberation of their fellow
human beings such as Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Coretta Scott-King, Yolanda King
were the products of an ordinary being. It is inconceivable that Inkosi Albert
Luthuli, Nelson Mandela are only products of the flesh and blood of
mortals.
Through the example of her life, Yolanda taught us that good leaders are
those who are good followers. She continued to lead us as she followed in the
footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr.
Yolanda taught us that the first loyalty of a leader is to his/her people,
whatever their colour or creed. She dedicated her life to the cause of racial
harmony in the US from which we continue to learn in KwaZulu-Natal.
A person of many facets, Yolanda King also lived her life as an actress,
author and motivational speaker. In this manner she taught us the value of hard
work and the circularity of our existence.
She was a baby when Rosa Parks refused to stand up for a white person in
Montgomery. Yet as an adult she went on to play Rosa Parks in the movie "King."
She was a toddler when Martin Luther King Jr received the Nobel Prize in 1964.
As an adult Yolanda King was to echo her father's words from that podium in
Oslo and preached about "the debilitating and grinding poverty which afflicts
my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder."
To Martin III, Dexter, Bernice and the entire King family we say on behalf
of the people of KwaZulu-Natal your loss is our loss, your pain our pain. Let
us use the passing of our sister Yolanda to rededicate ourselves to the cause
of freedom for our people wherever they are.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Spokesperson to Premier Ndebele
Cell: 083 644 4050
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
23 May 2007
