The Black Family Reunion is once again energizing Cincinnati this weekend, nearly 40 years after its founding, with a slate of events honoring family, history, and community. On Aug. 14, Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., addressed a packed audience at Corinthian Baptist Church in Bond Hill. She spoke about the enduring lessons of the civil rights movement and its relevance today.
“Because that’s what happened in the ’60s,” King said, as reported by WLWT.
“Y’all saw action. But there was an invisible force walking and moving those people, because they had a certain heart posture. And they weren’t trying to destroy the people who were trying to destroy them.”The discussion, moderated by WLWT News 5’s Courtis Fuller, also touched on how to confront injustice without losing sight of shared humanity.
Earlier that day, King participated in the groundbreaking of a new memorial in Cincinnati to honor her father at the intersection of Reading Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The monument, commissioned by the city earlier this year to replace an older memorial dating back to 1987, is expected to be completed early next year. Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long were among those attending the ceremony.
Reflecting on her father’s assassination in 1968, King said her family has never believed the widely accepted narrative. “Not just killed and murdered, but assassinated. A lot of forces worked to get my father out of here. And I’ll let you all keep believing it was James Earl Ray, but the family knows it was not James Earl Ray,” she said.
The Black Family Reunion, officially launched in Cincinnati in 1988 by Dr. Dorothy I. Height, President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, was created to celebrate and strengthen African American families while pushing back against damaging stereotypes. The event, known nationally as the Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion Celebration, has fostered connection and unity for generations.
This year’s celebration, running through Aug. 17, continues to highlight that mission, offering gatherings and programming designed to honor Black family life, history, and culture.
RELATED CONTENT: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Daughter Claps Back At Donald Trump For Comparing Himself To Her Father