Nationally and internationally known as one of the most powerful, motivating
and life-changing orators, Bernice A. King leaves her audiences spellbound and
challenged. Born the youngest daughter of Coretta Scott King and the late Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., King began her oratorical journey when she spoke in her
mother's stead at the United Nations when she was 17. Over the years, she has
been requested to speak in such places as Sydney, Australia; Lubeck, Germany;
Buenos Aires, Argentina and at The White House in Washington, D.C., to name a
few. In the summer of 2000, King narrated the "Lincoln Portrait" along with a
symphony orchestra in Kiel, Germany at the Schleswig-Holstein Music
Festival.
King is a graduate of Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Psychology. She also has a Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Law degree from
Emory University and is currently a member of the State Bar of Georgia. In
addition to these degrees, King has received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity
from Wesley College and has received training in mediation.
With a strong concern for community and family partnership, King was
privileged to serve as a law clerk in the Fulton County Juvenile Court system
under Judge Glenda Hatchett of the Judge Hatchett television show, where she
interacted with troubled boys and girls. During this time, she realized that a
growing number of teens have been double victims: first, of society, and
second, of an ineffective legal system based on retribution instead of
rehabilitation.
Continuing her commitment to help youth who have fallen prey to such
victimization, King also served as mentor to a group of 5th grade girls at an
inner city Atlanta elementary school. There she spent time molding the girls'
characters and values so that they would shape their lives based on strong
self-esteem, confident in their specific gifts and aspirations. As she still
does today when speaking to youth, King instilled in these girls a drive to
search for and accomplish their destinies, to reach their fullest potential.
King believes that actions speak louder than words, and her many community
deeds speak to that belief. She was instrumental in organizing a coalition that
closed a pornographic shop located within a mile of a local High School. King
also assisted The Dow Company in building a Habitat for Humanity home in
Americus, Georgia.
As an ordained preacher, King is a minister at New Birth Missionary Baptist
Church in Lithonia, GA in service under the dynamic leadership of Bishop Eddie
L. Long. In addition to being an orator and a preacher, King has organized
numerous conferences, seminars and workshops for various issues. She has
successfully coordinated women and family conferences as well as non-violent
conflict resolution conferences for college students; she has conducted a class
on race relations at Mississippi College in Jackson, MS; and she has taught a
yearlong leadership development class at a local inner city church.
Cited in Ebony Magazine as one of the "Ten of Tomorrow" in leadership, King
was also featured in People Magazine, Essence, Ladies Home Journal and Charisma
Magazine. She has also been a guest host for a live, lunchtime television show
on CNN.
As an author, King has to her credit, her first book, Hard Questions,
Heart Answers, a compelling and inspiring book selected by USA Today as a
"Best Bet."
Diverse, challenging, captivating, relevant and powerful are a few words
that describe Bernice A. King. She is a woman gifted to change the lives of
those who encounter her oration.
