Civil Rights Activist Alveda King-Tookes to Speak at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Alveda King-Tookes, niece of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, will speak at The University of Alabama on King’s non-violent philosophy and her work to continue the civil rights mission.

Tookes, who witnessed as a child, King’s, and her own father’s, struggles for civil rights, will present the lecture “The Spirit of the Dream,” Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. in 30 ten Hoor Hall on the UA campus.

Tookes is a guest lecturer for the weekly convocation lecture in the Blount Undergraduate Initiative. The Initiative is a special, privately endowed, liberal arts program in the College of Arts and Sciences designed to foster a community of undergraduate scholars at the Capstone.

King is founder of King for America Inc., an organization created to assist people in enriching their lives spiritually, personally, mentally and economically. She is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King.

During his lifetime, Rev. King was pastor of four churches, Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Newnan, Ga.; First Baptist Church in Birmingham; Zion Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. and, in Atlanta, Ebenezer Baptist Church, with his father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.

Tookes’s father is credited with organizing the Birmingham and Louisville civil rights activities. His home was bombed in Birmingham, and his church was bombed in Louisville during the heat of the struggle. Tookes was also jailed during a protest for open housing.

In her work for civil rights, Tookes has emphasized school choice as one of the most pressing civil rights issues of the day. She is a Senior Fellow of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institute, has served on the boards of numerous community organizations, and has served in the Georgia State House of Representatives for four years.

She is an assistant professor at Georgia’s Atlanta Metropolitan College where she teaches business communication. She holds an undergraduate degree with majors in journalism and sociology from Georgia State University, a master’s degree in business management from Central Michigan University, and has been awarded an honorary doctorate of laws degree from St. Anselm College.

She is the author of a number of books, papers, and musical compositions and has conducted conferences and workshops around the world.

Contact

Rebecca Florence, Director of A&S College Relations, (205) 348-8663

Source

Dr. Joe Hornsby, director Blount Undergraduate Initiative, (205) 348-1730