DPO Chair Dr. Rosa Colquitt Shares Her Loving Memories of Meeting

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Two Oldest Children

Happy Birthday, Dr. King, on what would have been your 96th birthday!

I can think of no greater way to celebrate Dr. King's life and to honor his legacy than by sharing my loving memories of meeting his two oldest children, surely two of his greatest treasures in life.

I just finished having a good morning cry, as I usually do on his birthday, thinking about Dr. King's supreme sacrifice for his uncompromising beliefs in equality, social and economic justice for all. When you really think about it, Dr. King was truly a very young man at age 39, when his life was so tragically taken. For those who are not yet 39, the real impact of his young life may not yet be felt. But for those of us having been blessed to reach the age of 50 or older, we fully recognize what a young man Dr. King really was - only just beginning to fulfill the dreams of his life, with a beautiful wife and four young children. As a mother, and now grandmother, the full awareness of Dr. King's young life brings me much pain and sadness.

Today, I reflect upon two of the most memorable moments in my life to date: the opportunity to meet Dr. King's two oldest children on separate occasions. Early in 2000, as a luncheon guest of the Portland Ecumenical community, I had an opportunity to meet Dr. King's oldest daughter, Yolanda Denise King, who is sadly now deceased (November 1955-May 2007). As she sat at the head of a table at a restaurant in Salem, having spoken earlier at an event at the state Capitol, I remember sitting immediately to her left, listening to her story about trying out for a role in a movie. She was so beautiful, funny, and gracious - a young woman who had definitely inherited her Dad's gift of oration. I recall Yolanda telling us that things didn't go so well when she tried out for the role, but that she knew the director and got the part anyway. As best I remember, the movie was about Medger and Myrlie Evers. Obviously, we asked her about her mother and father and she lovingly told us, "Daddy was such a prankster when he was home - chasing the kids all over the house." I will never forget meeting Dr. King's most wonderful first daughter. I've been thinking about her most of the morning, in between my tears.

While looking at my photo with Yolanda, it is a moment I will cherish and share with my children for the duration of my life.

And, yet again, I was blessed to meet Dr. King's oldest son, Martin Luther King III, on the occasion of personally inviting him to Portland to serve as keynote speaker for the annual conference of the Black Networking Association of Oregon (BNA), for which I served as president at the time. Although it's been more than a decade, I remember the details like yesterday. It began with picking up Martin III and his devoted assistant at the Portland airport, along with a security detail from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. While I didn't know what Martin III's entourage would be like in size, I pretty much expected him to ride with the security detail provided by Clackamas County. Much to my surprise, however, he opted to ride in my 4Runner with me and one of our BNA officers, with law enforcement close behind.

As his driver, I remember being so nervous, with the rain coming down heavily, I forgot to turn on my defogger! When Martin asked me if there was anything wrong with my windshield wipers, adding that he couldn't see outside, all four of us had a terrific laugh. I was then able to relax a little knowing that I had the life of the son of the larger than life icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., riding in my front seat! The evening's dinner just got better and even funnier from that point forward. In the tradition of his dad, we heard a lot of good jokes throughout the evening. So much in the image of his big sister Yolanda, Martin III shared many amazing childhood memories of his world revered father. As well, he told us to just call him "Marty." But for the life of me, somehow I just kept saying Martin! I certainly hope to see Marty III again real soon, now married with a beautiful wife and lovely young daughter named for her late Aunt Yolanda.

These are some of my brief humble memories. I genuinely admire those of my parent's generation who were fortunate enough to meet Dr. King himself.

I honor him today and always.

I cherish the memory of his life and legacy and all of his loving family. I hope you enjoy my photos with Yolanda and Martin III, along with one of my favorite unforgettable pictures of Dr. and Mrs. King with their two oldest children.

My tears have dried up the more I write and remember with joy and thankfulness. With Dr. King's love and inspiration in our hearts, let us face the day together.

Together in unity of purpose,

Rosa Colquitt, PhD

Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon

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