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Granddaughter of Dr. King releases new book

Free Press staff, wire reports | 1/11/2024, 6 p.m.
Six months ago, the 15-year-old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. announced that she was collaborating on a picture ...
This cover image released by Scholastic shows “We Dream a World” by Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. The book was released on Jan. 2. Courtesy of Orchard Books/Scholastic via AP

Six months ago, the 15-year-old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. announced that she was collaborating on a picture book tribute to the late civil rights leader and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

Yolanda Renee King’s “We Dream a World,” book includes illustrations by award-winning artist Nicole Tadgell, recently was released by Scholastic.

“I’m excited to share this love letter in his honor. This book lets every child rediscover my grandparents’ dream,” Yolanda, herself a social justice advocate, said recently.

The book’s release is timed shortly before what would have been Dr. King’s 95th birthday. He was assassinated in 1968, 40 years before his granddaughter was born.

Scholastic describes the book as a “call for unity and equality.”

The publisher says “the book’s narrative expresses Yolanda’s deep love for her grandparents, while also speaking to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future, as expressed through her call-and-response affirmation that brings thunderous participation at her public speeches and addresses: “Spread the word! Have you heard? We are going to be a new generation!”

Yolanda has followed in the footsteps of her grandparents and become an activist in her own right. At just 9 years old, she participated at March For Our Lives, a rally to end gun violence. And now, she wants to help inspire the next generation to fight for what they believe in.

“The book pays homage to them and their work, but it also talks about the potential of our world,” she said in recent television interviews. “I want to provide encouragement that yes, we can still have this world ... we’re going to have to really work and stay strong.”