by Chad Morgan

Created on: December 20, 2011   Last Updated: December 26, 2011

Without a doubt, the most influential African American in the history of the United States was none other than the Civil Rights leader in the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  Martin Luther King was not only an important African American historical figure but he was one of the most important historical figures in the history of the country. 

The Reverend Dr. King would leave a legacy that will endure for years and when it comes to the struggle of what African Americans have endured, they certainly cast their eyes upon the memory of MLK.

Dr. King would go on to marry Miss Coretta Scott and the pair were major figures in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's which seen Dr. King arrested and beaten then ultimately lead to his death when he was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennesse on April 4, 1968 at the age of 39. 

Many people don't realize that Dr. King left behind a legacy of four children and all four of these children have been able to carry on the spirit and drive that was left behind by their father.

The oldest of the children of Martin and Coretta was Yolanda who was born in 1955 and was 12 when her father was slain.  Yolanda would carry on her father's torch of public service and would serve on the board of the Center For Nonviolent Social Change and the Cultural Affairs Program all named in the honor of her father.  She would serve on the board of the Habitat For Humanity and was also a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in which MLK was also a member.  Yolanda would pass away in 2007 of unknown causes but was certainly the epitome of her late, great father.

The second of the four children of Dr. King was his namesake and that was Martin Luther King, III.  Martin III was born in 1957 and was ten years old at the time of his father's death.  This eldest son would also carry on the legacy of his father and would ascend to the presidency of the Southern Chrisitan Leadership Conference in 1997, a posistion that he would hold until 2004.  King III would be elected a county commissioner of Fulton County, Georgia and is currently the leader of the estate of his late father and is the president of The King Center.  MLK III also made news recently as it was announced that he was part of a team that was interested in purchasing Major League Baseball's New York Mets in efforts to make the team the first majority owned African American team in the Major Leagues.

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