Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, have been advocates for justice and civil liberties. The former has followed in the footsteps of his father as a global human rights advocate who has led civil rights efforts worldwide and continues his father’s legacy through the Drum Major Institute. The latter, who is the president of the Drum Major Institute, is a passionate civil rights advocate who has advanced social justice by organizing landmark anti-hate initiatives. While King III’s desire to be an activist came from having a front-row seat at what his parents were doing, his better half was drawn in by working for the late Reverend C.T. Vivian, one of Martin’s father’s strongest lieutenants, and Ann Braden worked for an organization called the National Anti-Clan Network

The influential couple’s recent interview with Blavity centered around the enduring legacy of the King family in human rights and the necessity for constructive dialogue to address current societal issues, where community is an essential factor in making impactful change.

The political climate in America today has heightened tensions among various groups. Reflecting on America’s evolution, King III discussed how his family’s legacy in human rights and nonviolence shapes the ongoing conversation about justice and equality. He noted that his parents engaged in discussions with people within and outside their community.

“I think the first thing is we have to find a constructive way to be in dialogue with this administration that has not revealed itself yet,” he told Blavity in an interview. “And I think throughout my father and mother’s leadership, they were always engaged in dialogue. Certainly, during the earlier years when it was very difficult to get to agreement because of a segregated society, it was important to have dialogue. Now the difference today is that there’s an intentional effort, it feels like to many [that it’s time] to turn the clock back.”

This prompted him to discuss the effects of action-oriented movements like marches, sit-ins and the refusal to support specific government entities and businesses.

“If the community is not coming forward and pushing back, and I’m saying in a constructive way like we’ve seen for example [with] the disinvestment through Target, some other outlets and Walmart,” King III said. “We’re beginning to see that was part of the tactic that my dad used, certainly in Montgomery, folks decided not to ride buses for 381 days. Some may say, well those are extreme measures, but it takes extreme measures for extreme events to bring about change. And it really at the end of the day is about creating an environment that serves everyone, not just serves hypothetically the wealthy or hypothetically an elite class.”

King III and Waters King lead discussions on systemic issues such as poverty, racism, and militarism. They emphasized balancing the honor of family legacy with the need to apply new strategies in today’s rapidly evolving social environment.

“I think that we have to adapt with the time when you really think about movements historically, right? So, when you even think about the fact that the civil rights movement of movement of the 60s was inspired by Gandhi and India, but it was adapted to the time and location,” Waters King said. “And then you saw it in South Africa again inspired by that same movement of freedom but then also adapted to what was going on during that time, culturally and technology-wise. I think that we are faced with that same thing today. And that’s one of the things that we are addressing.”

Alongside their book and the “Realize the Dream” initiative, which aims for 100 million hours of service by Martin Luther King Jr.’s 100th birthday, they have also ventured into podcasting with Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger to connect with audiences in a contemporary way. Their iHeartPodcast series My Legacy invites listeners to uncover the untold stories behind iconic public figures and trailblazing leaders. Since its launch, notable guests have included Mel Robbins, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, David Oyelowo, Billy Porter and Martin Sheen.

“Oftentimes it is said, you know, we know the glory. We see people who may be high profile but, but you know, everybody has a story. So, it’s important to know the story, not just the glory. And the other thing is that all of these episodes can inspire us to do even more,” MLK III said. “The inspiration comes from hearing what people had to go to their many inventors, they kept working on things and it took them 100 times, but the hundred and one, they succeeded. So, you can never give up on any dream that you may have and I think that some of that can be derived from listening to the stories of each of these individuals. And the fact of the matter is everybody has a legacy. It is what you choose to put in that you can leave for others. But not just at the end of life. It’s really maybe a weekly, maybe a monthly process.”

Both also emphasized the importance of youth engagement, urging young people to follow their passions, use social media positively and engage in activities that balance traditional learning, such as reading and studying the greats.

“You can start your own club or gathering at your school or in your community or you can join someone that already is doing it,” Waters King suggested. “There are a lot of organizations that have youth components, so you can join the youth chapters. You can go to your place of worship, you know, no matter what type of worship that you may be [in]. And normally there’s a lot of youth gatherings and things that are going on. You can find like-minded individuals there.”