AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Honoring Dexter King: A Legacy of Courage and Commitment

Ebony McMorris
January 23, 2024

FILE - Dexter King, son of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., listens to arguments in the State Court of Criminal Appeals in Jackson, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 29, 1997, to determine whether two Memphis judges have overstepped their authority surrounding the investigation of the King assassination. The King Center in Atlanta said the 62-year-old son of the civil rights leader died Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at his California home after battling prostate cancer. (Helen Comer/The Jackson Sun via AP, Pool, File)

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Dexter Scott King, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, passed away at 62. Dexter succumbed to prostate cancer, leaving a profound impact on those that he touched.

He was named after the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, and carried the weight of his father’s legacy at a young age. He was just seven when his father was assassinated.

FILE – Dexter King, son of Martin Luther King Jr., speaks to the press outlining his family’s plan for an interactive museum to be built at the MLK Center in Atlanta, Dec. 28, 1994. Dexter Scott King, the younger son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, has died after battling prostate cancer. The King Center in Atlanta says the 62-year-old son of the civil rights leader died Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at his California home after battling prostate cancer. (AP Photo/Leita Cowart, file)

Overcoming personal grief, he became a force in preserving his father’s teaching and ideals and played a role as Chairman of the King Center and President of the King Estate.

His family, including his brother Martin Luther King III and sister Bernice King, remember him as a brave and dedicated individual whose life was a testament to strength and resilience.

FILE – The children of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, from left, Martin Luther King, Jr. III, Dexter King, Yolanda King and Bernice King stand next to a new crypt dedicated to their parents in Atlanta, Monday Nov. 20, 2006. The King Center in Atlanta said Dexter, the 62-year-old son of the civil rights leader, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at his California home after battling prostate cancer. (AP Photo/W.A. Harewood, File)

Reverend Al Sharpton, echoing the sentiments of many, expressed deep sorrow, yet found solace in the belief that Dexter is now reunited with his reverend parents and sister, Yolanda.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.