Yolanda Renee King, the sole grandchild of civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, cast her first ballot in Atlanta, Georgia Nov. 3. The 18-year-old college student returned home to continue the King family legacy of civic engagement.
Yolanda, along with her parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, arrived at Trinity Presbyterian Church located at 3003 Howell Mill Road NW at around 10:30 AM, enthusiastic about finally participating in Election Day. King’s granddaughter expressed that she
couldn’t wait for her own opportunity to vote after witnessing her parents step into the voting booth for many years. Yolanda spoke to the great responsibility of voting and the importance of casting her own ballot.“My grandparents had their fight. My parents had theirs. This one is mine,” Yolanda said. “People bled for this right. I’m not going to waste it.”
The voting milestone highlights the growing influence of young voters in Georgia and nationwide, with research from CIRCLE at Tufts University estimating that nearly 50 million Americans aged 18 to 29 are eligible to participate in this election cycle
.Albeit her first voting selection, Yolanda is not oblivious of what’s at stake politically and socioeconomically. In an interview at the northwest Atlanta polling site, She articulated the issues that concern her most.
“We see voting rights being attacked and so one of the best ways to do that, is through resistance,” Yolanda told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“I think one of the best ways to resist is through voting … we were talking in the car of how the voting process works and I was thinking about all the legislation that was passed following the 2020 elections within our state and I was thinking wow…”
Yolanda continued, “Why are they making … voting more difficult? Why is it harder to, vote, and easier to own a gun? A lot of these decision makers know that voting matters.”
Check out more of BE’s conversation with Yolanda King below.
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