Alveda King - King Rules: Ten Truths for You, Your Family, and Our Nation to Prosper

2014 by Alveda King

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Dorothy Law Noltes poem, Children Learn What They Live on page 61, copyright 1972/1975 by Dorothy Law Nolte. Author-approved short version. Used by permission.

ISBN: 9781400205004

ISBN: 9781400205011 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931447

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

by the Hon. J. C. Watts

by Father Frank Pavone

May the kings rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth.

Psalm 72:6 NLT

I f you listen to the media todaywhich is almost unavoidableyoull hear about the problems besetting our nation and our culture. Chances are youll hear some politician or self-appointed spokesperson saying that whatever the problem is, its being caused by someone else. And that someone else will then be demonized while the problem fades into the background, only to be replaced by the next crisis to be used as a bludgeon against another political opponent.

The politics of personal destructiona phrase popularized by President Bill Clinton during his impeachment and a tactic probably as old as mans fallen natureare alive and well. Having been on the front line of politics, I have been the target of entrenched leaders who would rather hurl epithets than try to defend their indefensible positions. It happened when I was a congressman; it happens now.

Those who have been the overseers of the black familys destruction and, increasingly, the demise of families of all colors, are more protective of their power than they are zealous for solutions, so they attack anyone who dares to point out the obviousthat their programs arent working.

Officials who have busted the national budget just dont want to hear that were running out of money, so they malign anyone with an adding machine. They want us to buy into the myth that 2 + 2 = 6, and when anyone says that 2 + 2 = 4, they are labeled extreme or radical.

Too many of our leaders, when confronted with the results of their actions, respond by pointing and saying, He did them!

To put it bluntly, integrity, responsibility, and moral courage seem to be in short supply today. But where can we find them?

Alveda King knows where to look. Alveda and her family, like so many of us and our families, have been there. She was raised amid turmoil in an unfair society that treated her as not good enough. Her family came from sharecroppers. They never stopped working and never stopped learning. Each generation built on the foundation of its predecessors.

Unlike most of us, Alveda knew death and terror at a young age. She knew violence and loss. She knew all this because her family stood for values and beliefs that throughout history have shaken established orders and set the captives freevalues and beliefs that built our nation and can set us back on course.

King Rules offers bedrock values that have been handed down, not coincidentally, through a long line of preachers. They are character-building, practical beliefs that transcend and overcome circumstance. They taught generations of King men and women. They taught my family. In years gone by they taught most Americans. If our nation is to prosper, they must inform us again so our childrens families will carry them forward.

These King Rules endure because they are, at their essence, the values of the King, our Savior Jesus Christ. They are timeless because while eras and places change, human nature does not. History shows that as hatred, cruelty, greed, and selfishness keep reappearing, they must be met with the radical truths that love is what is commanded of us, and justice is what we must seek.

These basic truths are what motivated the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. when he was spat upon, threatened, and jailed. He did not persevere through persecution to achieve political or personal gain; he did so because he was taught to love his neighbor with a love that manifests itself in service and sacrifice. Rev. Kings love was not just intellectual; he lived it. His love for others still endures, inspires, and changes lives. Its a love that doesnt make you perfect in this life, but makes you want to be.

King Rules is a firsthand account of one of the most important periods in our nations history, but its also a treasure of wisdom gleaned from hard lessons, simple truths, and loving parents. Its more than Alvedas story; its an account of the beliefs that redirected the course of a nation, left us a legacy, and hopefully will guide us again.

Hon. J. C. Watts

A nother milestone was reached as I finished this book. The fiftienth anniversary of Uncle M.L.s I Have a Dream speech and the historic March on Washington was just behind us, and the fiftieth anniversary of the 1964 civil rights act was just ahead. This season allowed me and the world to ask, Is the dream now fulfilled? Though I remain unable to say that the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been fulfilled, I do know that we have made some progress.

Understanding there is so much more required to realize the fullness of the dream, I am encouraged to look back while moving forward. The lessons, the rules as it were, that were learned from my ancestors remain a beacon of hope and light for me and prayerfully for you as well. There are still many questions and many miles to go. And yet I do believe that we will reach that promised land.

Among the many questions people often ask regarding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and what it has been like growing up in his family, I am most honored when people ask things like: Did you really know him? Where did he get his strength and power?

In King Rules you will find the answers to these questions and so much more. But this is not just another book about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are many good and noble accounts about his life. There are also his own books. I hope this little book about his family and our values will bring insight and enlightenment about the background and foundations that nurtured and fostered the man Martin, who has been either honored or hated by the masses and dearly loved by his natural family.