One of Martin Luther King Jr.’s sons said he’s "perplexed" by Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s remarks that the late civil rights leader would be "appalled" by the Black Lives Matter movement.
"I was perplexed by the comments, but people attempt to use dad for everything," Martin Luther King III said Friday on "The Joe Madison Show" on SiriusXM radio. "I think dad would be very proud of young people standing up to promote truth, justice and equality."
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, criticized Black Lives Matter earlier this month for its emphasis on African-American lives. "When I hear people scream ‘black lives matter,’ I think, of course they do…But all lives matter," Huckabee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. "That’s the whole message that Dr. King tried to present, and I think he’d be appalled by the notion that we’re elevating some lives above others."
Black Lives demonstrators have been a sometimes disruptive presence on the presidential campaign trail, interrupting appearances by Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley. Black Lives members also had a tense meeting with Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton this week.
The movement is also taking aim at Republican presidential contenders, notably Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for his comments during the first GOP debate that police violence could be reduced through better police training.
Martin Luther King III said "I can’t imagine how anyone can say that he (his father) would be incensed that Black Lives are doing what they’re doing."
"It does feel to many blacks around the nations, I believe, that there is a total disregard for black life. It feels like that because we see incidents occurring every week," Martin Luther King III said. "I think dad would be very proud about what these young people are doing, particularly in the spirit of non-violence. You have to sometimes disrupt the current structure."
William Douglas: 202-383-6026, @williamgdouglas
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