So this happened.
Party promoters for a teen club in Michigan decided to Photoshop the face of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on their flyers, right next to the phrase “Freedom To Twerk” — a move that sparked the outrage of thousands and shocked the King family.
Now, daughter Dr. Bernice King is speaking out about the distasteful flyer and the disgrace it brings to King’s legacy.
“I feel like we have failed to reach these (groups),” Dr. King said.
“This imagery thing is just appalling, and it’s almost embarrassing,” Dr. King remarked. “For me, as his daughter, it’s like ‘wow’, I lost a father who sacrificed everything for them to live a much more dignified and respectful life, and for it to come to this makes me sad,” King concluded.
King told FOX 5 she was not upset about people celebrating her father’s life, but she had serious concerns about the use of her father’s imagery to suggest he would endorse such a style of celebration.
“My father would have worked to elevate them, to connect with them, and bring them into the movement,” King said.
A man familiar with Mid-Michigan Teen Parties, the group responsible, told FOX that no disrespect was intended with the flyer or the event.
The man, who wished not to be identified, says this event is spearheaded by teens who are working to have a positive influence in the community, and reach out to a group surrounded by violence in the streets every day. He says the flyer was a way to reach the audience through “gospel rap” and was meant to support a positive message.
Well, they certainly missed their mark. Time for a history lesson.
SOURCE: Fox Atlanta | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter
