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Tag: Martin Luther King

  • Luther King’s daughter rejects claim that her father would be ‘proud of’ Trump

    The daughter of Martin Luther King has turned down a claim that the major icon of the U.S. civil rights movements would have been “proud of” Donald Trump.

    In a series of tweets, King’s daughter, Bernice King rejected Steve Bannon’s claim that King would be proud of Trump’s policies. Bannon “has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father’s name, work and words,” Bernice wrote.

    The assertion “wholly ignores Daddy’s commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect,” she wrote.

    Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, said Wednesday on BBC News night program that “if you look at the policies of Donald Trump, anybody would be proud of him, of what he’s done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs.”

    Read Also: Trump pulls U.S. out of Iran deal, reinstates sanctions

    He told BBC that King would have approved of the president’s anti-immigration policies as they stop “illegal alien labor forces” from competing with black Americans for jobs everyday.

    However, Bernice said the claim has ignored many of King’s values, and her father would be “extremely disturbed” by recent events. “My father’s concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of Black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights,” she tweeted.

    “Furthermore, he would have not refer to people as ‘illegal aliens.’ The term is degrading and does not reflect to his belief,  that we are all a part of the human family,” she added.

    Bannon was chief executive of the Trump campaign in its final three months during the 2016 U.S. elections. He became the chief strategist after Trump took office in January 2017 and left the White House in August.

    NAN

  • Bello commends NGOs on eradication of poverty in Africa

    Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger has commended the Martin Luther King and Dr Joe Beasley Foundations, NGOs, for alleviating poverty in Africa.

    Bello gave the commendation when Mrs Naomi King and Dr Joe Beasley, founders of the organisation visited him in Minna on Wednesday, to seek partnership with the state on youths and women empowerment.

    The two NGOs are United States-based donors/empowerment consortium with capacity to assist developing countries, worldwide, especially African nation’s by intervening in critical sectors of their economy.

    Bello expressed the readiness of his administration to partner with the two NGOs to empower women and youths in the state.

    The governor, who described the foundations as international donors with similar focus toward human development, appealed to them to assist women and youths in the state Sheanut butter production.

    “We will appreciate your partnership more in Sheanut butter production as the state was the world leading producer of the agriculture products.

    “We have purchased modern Shea butter production equipment for our women and youths to serve as source of empowerment to them to become self-reliance,” he said.

    Read Also: Gov. Bello donates N20m to Bida market fire victims

    The governor also said that assisting the state in Shea butter production, women and youths empowerment would improve the economy of the state.

    Earlier, Joe Beasley said that the aim of the foundations was to assist African countries on public water utility challenges.

    Joe Beasley also said that the NGOs would assist the state to solve its water problem in view of the natural endowment of the state.

    He said the NGOs would liaise with World Medical Relief African partners, a Nigeria NGO led by Alhaji Dangana Baba, to assist Niger government to improve water supply, especially in the rural communities.

    In her contribution, King, who manages Mother of Global Humanitarian Movement, promised that the foundations would assist the state in women and youths empowerment and other critical sectors.

    NAN

  • 500 pupils celebrate Martin Luther King Jr

    500 pupils celebrate Martin Luther King Jr

    No fewer than 500 pupils and teachers from three secondary schools in Lagos participated in the events marking the celebration of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, organised by the Public Affairs Section of the United States’ Consulate-General, Lagos.

    The event featured the screening of the documentary, “The March,” at the Holy Child College, ADRAO College and The Bridge House College.

    At each location, Public Diplomacy Officer Rhonda J. Watson spoke to the pupils about the historical background of African-Americans in the U.S., highlighting their fight for equality and social justice. She applauded Dr. King’s method of non-violence, including using boycotts and marches to fight for social change and legal redress. She also emphasised the civil rights leader’s impact on the U.S. and the world at large, admonishing the pupils to take their own civic responsibilities seriously to impact on the Nigerian society.

    Ms. Watson further challenged them to examine their own lives and the social situation in Nigeria and see King as a role model to develop a social conscience to make improvements in the country. She also spoke about the power of working together in coalitions to achieve mutual goals.

    Many of the pupils said they were inspired by the oratory, life and the legacy of Martin Luther King.

    They promised to draw inspiration from his dream as well as from the various lessons from one of the largest political rallies in US history.

  • Martin Luther King Jnr. honoured

    US President Obama was being officially sworn in to begin his second term in the White House, thousands of people visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial nearby on the Washington Mall.

    One of the visitors to Washington DC, Bernita King, of Los Angeles, California took a photograph during her visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

    Kenyae Reese, who came from South Bend, Indiana, but now lives in Washington, was able to describe the atmosphere as busloads of students and tour groups began to fill the space.