When people hear the name “King,” they often think of speeches and marches. They think of the life of my famous uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as history, as someone who lived in the past and whose story is preserved in books. But for me, growing up in the King family felt like home. It meant prayer around the table and hymns sung with conviction. It also meant a deep awareness that faith and love belong together.

From my earliest memories, I learned something simple and powerful: we are one blood, one human race, created in the image of God (Acts 17:26). That truth shaped my childhood and formed my faith. It also shaped the mission God later placed on my heart.

Growing Up a King

My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is remembered around the world as a champion of civil rights. He believed deeply that love would heal our nation. I remember listening quietly as the adults spoke, absorbing the lessons that later guided my life. “Uncle M.L.,” as I called him, talked about justice and equality through the lens of God’s love and redemption. He warned us plainly that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

As a pastor and civil rights leader, my father, Rev. A.D. King, reinforced those lessons in our home. He taught that faith belongs in ordinary days. I watched him pray with sincerity and grief, for the people who opposed him, and for children who had no voice. He taught me that courage grows through obedience to God, even when that obedience comes at a cost.

My grandfather, Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., whom we called “Daddy King,” was a steady presence in my life. He carried himself with humility and strength. He lived with a deep confidence in scripture and a steady devotion to God. Daddy King understood that civil rights begin with recognizing God-given human dignity. He believed that every human life mattered because God created each of us with purpose.

As I grew older, those lessons became deeply personal. I have lived through regret and redemption, and I know the pain of abortion as a human tragedy that leaves lasting wounds. I also know the healing power of God’s grace, which restores what feels beyond repair. Because of that, I speak with compassion about protecting life at every stage. Human dignity includes the unborn child and the elderly neighbor.