Martin Luther King Center for Social Change
Martin Luther King Center for Social Change (or the King Center) was established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, and "The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America’s greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace." [1]
- Isaac Newton Farris President and CEO of the King Center [2]
Contents
Funding
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority "helped underwrite the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change" in 1965. [3]
Received on of the Fannie Mae Foundation's first grants in 1980. [4]
Work in South Africa
"In 1993, The United States Agency for International Development, (USAID) requested from Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Founder of The King Center, a curriculum that included Nonviolence Resistance and Non-partisan Voter Education for the citizens of South Africa. USAID and others were concerned that the upcoming democratic election, April 27, 1994, would be consumed with violence, as had been the experience in other African countries. Based on the USAID request Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr., “Scholar in Residence at The King Center” and Charles L. Alphin, Sr. along with King Center Board Member, Harold Sims began the process of developing a nonviolence, non-partisan, acceptable and effective curriculum that could be taught by South African’s.
"Rev. Joseph Tshawane, Founder/President of the Dr. King – Chief Luthuli Transformation Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, educated in the United States and had attended training at the King Center in Atlanta, GA was identified as the organization in South Africa to support this project." [1]
NED Funding
The King Center has received the following grants from the NED for their work in South Africa:
- 1990: $88,000, Program Summary: To support the program of its affiliated center based in Soweto, South Africa promoting Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolent political action.
- 1990: $27,500, Program Summary: To allow the King-Luthuli Transformation Centre (KLTC) of South Africa to cover additional program costs.
- 1991: $ 104,590, Program Summary: To support the King-Luthuli Centre for Transformation of Johannesburg's programs and to promote nonviolent political action and encourage social change and democratic transformation in South Africa (AID Funds).
- 1992: $175,000 (AID Funds), Program Summary: To support its grassroots civic education, community action and youth development programs.
- 1993: $ 140,000, Program Summary: On behalf of the King-Luthuli Transformation Center, to support its program of democratic education, youth training and ethnic conciliation.
Directors
- Dexter Scott King - Chairman
- Hon. Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy [5]
- Virgil H. Hodges was a board member in 1987 1993 Annual Report
(still looking for the other??)
- Sidney Harman - Former Trustee [6]
- Representative John R. Lewis (GA) - appears to be a director [7]
- Eric Tidwell
