In his legendary “I Have A Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said he hoped one day his four little children would be judged by the content of their character. Last week, a little piece of that dream was passed on to Lipscomb students by his daughter, Dr. Bernice A King. Speaking in Allen Arena, King wanted to instill the values of her father – mentorship, role modeling and equipping the next generation for greatness – into those in the audience.
“How many young people were able to soar and step into greatness because you took the time to make a difference?” King asked.
Following in her father’s footsteps, King has become a renowned speaker and an ordained minister. She spoke at LU as part of the Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee’s (YLFT) Women and Girls Benefit Luncheon. Girls from the Youth Life program were in attendance, but the event also attracted some of the state’s most prominent women, including the governor’s wife, Crissy Haslam; and Nashville mayor Karl Dean’s wife, Anne Davis.
The next generation needs advocates, King said. “We have to look out for them and make a commitment.”
“They want to know your struggles and that you have made mistakes too. Realness is what opens up their hearts.”
Children who participate in mentorship programs like YLTF excel in school and are less likely to turn to criminal activity. Of course, mentoring these children does require a commitment, but King insisted it doesn’t take a lot of time to impact a child’s life.
“It’s not the quantity of time, but the quality of time.”
According to the Creative Mentoring Program, over 95 percent of parents and teachers saw an improvement in their children after mentoring was conducted. It was not just in school, but also in the home.
King encouraged everyone to be patient, understanding and to love unconditionally when mentoring a child because they need people to listen, not judge them.
King said even those who don’t see themselves as difference makers have the power to change someone’s life – or the world. “Changing the world doesn’t take a Martin Luther King,” she said. “It takes an ordinary individual who wants to do extraordinary things.”