The institution and the role
Dr. Bernice A. King is CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, founded by her mother as the official living memorial to her father. In that role she advances her parents' legacy through policy, advocacy, research, and education, teaching the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence that she rebranded as Nonviolence365.
The training work
Under her leadership the Center has run initiatives reaching more than 500,000 people, including the Beloved Community Leadership Academy, Students with King, and Nonviolence365 education and training. She led development of an NV365 certification program for trainers, teaching individuals to deliver the curriculum on the Center's behalf — building capacity instead of an audience.
Background and civic work
Dr. King holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Divinity from Emory University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Spelman College. She served as a law clerk for the chief judge of the Fulton County Juvenile Detention Court and spent seven years as an assistant pastor at Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Atlanta. She spearheaded the 2013 Let Freedom Ring event marking the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
In 2020 she was influential in encouraging Atlanta business leaders to support racial equity and social justice issues, including the successful passage of Georgia's hate crime legislation. She sits on the boards of The King Center and the National Black Bank Foundation.