Yolanda King

A memorial service for Yolanda King, the eldest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Faithful Central Bible Church's Tabernacle, 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood. Yolanda King died May 15 in Santa Monica.

A memorial service for Yolanda King, the eldest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Faithful Central Bible Church's Tabernacle, 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood. Yolanda King died May 15 in Santa Monica.

Yolanda King, an actress, producer and motivational speaker who was the eldest child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and who turned to the performing arts to carry on her father's civil rights legacy, has died. She was 51. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center in Atlanta. According to Klein, family members suspected her death may have been caused by a heart problem, but he provided no additional details.

Yolanda King, an actress, producer and motivational speaker who was the eldest child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and who turned to the performing arts to carry on her father's civil rights legacy, has died. She was 51. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center in Atlanta. According to Klein, family members suspected her death may have been caused by a heart problem, but he provided no additional details.

"If you can't fly, run," the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is heard saying as the lights dim. "If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving." Daughter Yolanda King then takes the stage to keep spreading that message, through an inspirational mixture of drama, music and dance that she calls "Achieving the Dream."

Students at Inglewood's Morningside High gathered around Yolanda King the other day, seeking her pronouncements on Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, violence versus nonviolence and other subjects. The eldest child of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. answered each politely but reluctantly. She does not try to influence public opinion, she explained later. "I only speak for myself; I only represent myself. I do not represent any group, or the black community, or women or even my father."

The daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pulled out of an acting performance Sunday because she wanted to support efforts to punish the state for refusing to create a holiday honoring the civil rights leader. Yolanda King, a 34-year-old actress, had originally said she would appear in the play even though sports events and conventions have been canceled because of the controversy. However, on Sunday, she said she had changed her mind.

The best parts of "Tracks," an unusual multimedia show that played over the weekend at Bovard Auditorium at USC, came from the recorded speeches of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After 30 years, King's stirring words still ring true, especially when excerpted over slide images of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and other urban miseries. As this show quotes King: "We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools."

Their fathers were civil rights rivals whose goals were far apart--and whose fates were tragically intertwined. But the daughters of slain black activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X set aside their fathers' differences to produce plays and musicals that promote self-esteem among young blacks. On Friday, Yolanda King and Attallah Shabazz were honored by Los Angeles County supervisors for the unifying message they put on stage Thursday night at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.

Coretta Scott King -- widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. -- managed to say a few words on Friday and "clearly wants to communicate," but her physician said she might not fully recover from a stroke. King, 78, suffered the stroke Tuesday morning when a blood clot became lodged in the part of her brain that controls speech, said Dr. Margaret Mermin. She has not been able to walk or speak since then. "Emotionally, she's doing as well as she can be expected.

In an outpouring that was by turns hostile and heartsick, the community that relies on Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center turned out in force Monday to strenuously oppose plans to close the hospital's prized trauma unit. A public hearing at an auditorium across from the hospital in Willowbrook, south of Watts, prompted a spirited, daylong protest by well over 1,000 people, who gathered to send a powerful message to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

"If you can't fly, run," the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is heard saying as the lights dim. "If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving." Daughter Yolanda King then takes the stage to keep spreading that message, through an inspirational mixture of drama, music and dance that she calls "Achieving the Dream."

Stepping out of the blazing sun and into the smoky darkness of the warehouse-style building, Yolanda King stopped and squinted. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she stepped slowly toward a voice inviting her back in time to a segregated Meridian, Miss. The murky room is the first stop on a tour of a photography exhibit that pays tribute to King's father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The best parts of "Tracks," an unusual multimedia show that played over the weekend at Bovard Auditorium at USC, came from the recorded speeches of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After 30 years, King's stirring words still ring true, especially when excerpted over slide images of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and other urban miseries. As this show quotes King: "We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools."

Students at Inglewood's Morningside High gathered around Yolanda King the other day, seeking her pronouncements on Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, violence versus nonviolence and other subjects. The eldest child of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. answered each politely but reluctantly. She does not try to influence public opinion, she explained later. "I only speak for myself; I only represent myself. I do not represent any group, or the black community, or women or even my father."

Coretta Scott King -- widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. -- managed to say a few words on Friday and "clearly wants to communicate," but her physician said she might not fully recover from a stroke. King, 78, suffered the stroke Tuesday morning when a blood clot became lodged in the part of her brain that controls speech, said Dr. Margaret Mermin. She has not been able to walk or speak since then. "Emotionally, she's doing as well as she can be expected.

Stepping out of the blazing sun and into the smoky darkness of the warehouse-style building, Yolanda King stopped and squinted. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she stepped slowly toward a voice inviting her back in time to a segregated Meridian, Miss. The murky room is the first stop on a tour of a photography exhibit that pays tribute to King's father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pulled out of an acting performance Sunday because she wanted to support efforts to punish the state for refusing to create a holiday honoring the civil rights leader. Yolanda King, a 34-year-old actress, had originally said she would appear in the play even though sports events and conventions have been canceled because of the controversy. However, on Sunday, she said she had changed her mind.