WASHINGTON, D.C. – A letter bearing a pro-life message was among the items placed in a time capsule put together as part of the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial.
Naomi Ruth Barber King, the widow of civil rights strategist Rev. A. D. King and sister-in-law of Martin Luther King, included a copy of “The Beloved Community” letter, as she and other family members gathered Saturday, Oct. 15, at the construction site. The memorial was dedicated the following day.
The letter, written for the celebration of Martin Luther King Day this past January, urges his followers to include the unborn in the ongoing fight for civil rights.
“As our nation pauses to recommit itself to fulfilling the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” the letter begins, “we invite our fellow citizens to reflect on how that dream touches every human life. Dr. King taught that justice and equality need to be as wide-reaching as humanity itself. Nobody can be excluded from the Beloved Community. He taught that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ ”
Among the signatories are Mrs. King; Dr. Alveda King, director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life and founder of King for America; Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life; Rev. Derek King, nephew of Martin Luther King; Gloria Jackson, the great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, and Lynn Jackson, great-great-granddaughter of Dred Scott.
“Over the years, many pro-abortion leaders and organizations have claimed that Uncle Martin was pro-choice, but that is just not true,” Dr. Alveda King said. “He was a champion of the sanctity of life, and he included the unborn among those whose civil rights he fought and died for.”
Father Pavone said, "The new Dr. King Memorial will inspire many to give their lives for the dream as he did. In our day, that means giving our lives to restore equal protection to our unborn brothers and sisters."
Mrs. King also included in the time capsule a copy of the book, “How Can the Dream Survive” by Dr. Alveda King, and a copy of the video “Metamorphosis,” about the life cycle of the butterfly. Mrs. King is known as the “Butterfly Queen.” https://www.adkingfoundation.com/home/aboutnaomi.html
President Obama was invited to include copies of two of his speeches in the time capsule, which will be unearthed in the future.
For the full text of the “Beloved Community” letter, go here. For more information about the King family, visit www.adkingfoundation.com and www.kingforamerica.com
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.