To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, U.S. Bank, and its subsidiary Elavon launched a new African American business resource group chapter and presented a special program to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy.
The program featured a fireside conversation between chapter president and Elavon vice president of education and engagement Terra Wallace and the youngest daughter of the civil rights leader and Coretta Scott King, the Rev. Bernice King. The special event was hosted by U.S. Bank and Elavon in Atlanta on Jan. 13, 2020, during the week leading up to the Jan. 20 federal holiday.
Their conversation covered an array of topics, ranging from King discussing how she is following in her parents’ footsteps and her fondest memories of her beloved father.
King was candid about her life experiences, revealing that she had a difficult childhood coping with the loss of her father, her uncle A. D. King and her grandmother Alberta Williams King at a very young age.
She also spoke about coming to understand her role as a minister of the gospel and the CEO of The King Center.
“My father was a prophet and the words of a prophet are very important. The things that they seek still have to come to pass,” she said. “My mother used to say that struggle is a never-ending process and that freedom is earned and won with every generation.”
When asked about the future of the United States and the world, she spoke with optimism and hope.
“This next generation is different,” King explained. “Those under 20 today, they care about wars, they care about causes and things are going to change because they are absolutely different than us.”
Before she closed, King challenged every person in the audience to think about their own legacy each day.
“Look in the mirror every morning,” she added. “You are the solution to some problem. You are the answer to some question. But you have to decide to get engaged purposefully and intentionally.”
Check out photos from the event in the gallery above.
