tobedawg
11 Dec 2004, 08:44 PM
* Don't say I didn't warn you.. I think that this is downright despicable.. -- TD
Daughter of MLK Jr. Marches Against Gay Marriage
Ellen Barry
Los Angeles Times
Dec. 11, 2004 12:00 AM
ATLANTA - The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will join a prominent Atlanta pastor today in a march that opposes same-sex marriage as part of a larger, church-centered empowerment movement. The event has been criticized by gay-rights organizations, which say it betrays the legacy of the slain civil rights leader.
King's widow, Coretta Scott King, has supported marriage rights for gays and lesbians, as have civil rights figures Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The "Reigniting the Legacy" march, to be led by King and Bishop Eddie Long, will begin at the Martin Luther King Center for NonViolent Social Change. Organizers said they expect 100 pastors and 10,000 marchers to participate.
Long, whose New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has 25,000 members, said his goal was to re-establish an authoritative voice for the Black church on a range of issues including protection of marriage, school choice, affordable health care and "wealth creation" for minorities.
"There has not been a unified voice out of our community since the assassination of Dr. King," Long said. A strong segment of society, he said, "want to go back to basic, fundamental moral beliefs."
Gay rights advocates are well aware of Long's opposition to same-sex marriage. Still, Chuck Bowen, a spokesman for Georgia Equality, said he was surprised to learn about the march.
"I think it's very sad. I think he's abusing the good name of Dr. King and the work he did creating equality for all Americans," Bowen said.
Rosalind McGinnis, managing director of the King center, said the site was public property and that the organization was "not endorsing, nor are we affiliated with, Bishop Eddie Long in any way."
Long was not available for comment Friday, but said in a written statement that the march aimed not "to protest same-sex marriage, but to present a unified version of righteousness and justice."
In November, Georgia voters approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In the run-up to the election, the issue split Georgia's Black leadership, sometimes setting pastors at odds with the political caucus forged in the civil rights era. A Pew Research Center poll taken in October showed that 60 percent of Blacks opposed legalizing gay marriage.
In an interview this week, Bernice King acknowledged that the issue has left painful rifts.
"The question is, how do you overcome that pain?" she said. "It may be the wedge that stays with us for a long time. We have to get to a place where it does not become the most defining issue of our time."
Bernice King, 41, the Kings' youngest daughter, has degrees in law and divinity from Emory University and is known as a powerful orator on race and social justice. Recently, she said, she has become the "spiritual daughter" of Long, who has built New Birth into the largest of Atlanta's mega-churches. Among the congregation are prominent state, city and county officials.
Bond said he was disturbed to hear that the march was being linked with Dr. King's name. The civil-rights leader's most-trusted associate, Bayard Rustin, was "an out gay man who was unapologetic about his sexuality," Bond said.
"With so many problems afflicting Black Americans, you wonder, what harm is done by people in love?" Bond said.
Daughter of MLK Jr. Marches Against Gay Marriage
Ellen Barry
Los Angeles Times
Dec. 11, 2004 12:00 AM
ATLANTA - The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will join a prominent Atlanta pastor today in a march that opposes same-sex marriage as part of a larger, church-centered empowerment movement. The event has been criticized by gay-rights organizations, which say it betrays the legacy of the slain civil rights leader.
King's widow, Coretta Scott King, has supported marriage rights for gays and lesbians, as have civil rights figures Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The "Reigniting the Legacy" march, to be led by King and Bishop Eddie Long, will begin at the Martin Luther King Center for NonViolent Social Change. Organizers said they expect 100 pastors and 10,000 marchers to participate.
Long, whose New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has 25,000 members, said his goal was to re-establish an authoritative voice for the Black church on a range of issues including protection of marriage, school choice, affordable health care and "wealth creation" for minorities.
"There has not been a unified voice out of our community since the assassination of Dr. King," Long said. A strong segment of society, he said, "want to go back to basic, fundamental moral beliefs."
Gay rights advocates are well aware of Long's opposition to same-sex marriage. Still, Chuck Bowen, a spokesman for Georgia Equality, said he was surprised to learn about the march.
"I think it's very sad. I think he's abusing the good name of Dr. King and the work he did creating equality for all Americans," Bowen said.
Rosalind McGinnis, managing director of the King center, said the site was public property and that the organization was "not endorsing, nor are we affiliated with, Bishop Eddie Long in any way."
Long was not available for comment Friday, but said in a written statement that the march aimed not "to protest same-sex marriage, but to present a unified version of righteousness and justice."
In November, Georgia voters approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In the run-up to the election, the issue split Georgia's Black leadership, sometimes setting pastors at odds with the political caucus forged in the civil rights era. A Pew Research Center poll taken in October showed that 60 percent of Blacks opposed legalizing gay marriage.
In an interview this week, Bernice King acknowledged that the issue has left painful rifts.
"The question is, how do you overcome that pain?" she said. "It may be the wedge that stays with us for a long time. We have to get to a place where it does not become the most defining issue of our time."
Bernice King, 41, the Kings' youngest daughter, has degrees in law and divinity from Emory University and is known as a powerful orator on race and social justice. Recently, she said, she has become the "spiritual daughter" of Long, who has built New Birth into the largest of Atlanta's mega-churches. Among the congregation are prominent state, city and county officials.
Bond said he was disturbed to hear that the march was being linked with Dr. King's name. The civil-rights leader's most-trusted associate, Bayard Rustin, was "an out gay man who was unapologetic about his sexuality," Bond said.
"With so many problems afflicting Black Americans, you wonder, what harm is done by people in love?" Bond said.