Dexter Scott King (January 30, 1961 – January 22, 2024)

R.I.P Dexter Scott King Pictured With His Father MLK JR in 1964
Dexter Scott King (January 30, 1961 – January 22, 2024) was an American civil and animal rights activist, attorney, and author. The second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he was also the brother of Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, and Yolanda King; and also grandson of Martin Luther King Sr. He is the author of Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir.

King was seven years old when his father was assassinated. He was watching television with his older brother, Martin III, when they saw a news flash about the shooting. King and his siblings were assured an education thanks to the help of Harry Belafonte, who set up a trust fund for them years prior to their father’s assassination.

King attended his father’s alma mater of Morehouse College, where he studied business administration from 1979 to 1984. He left Morehouse before graduating.

As an adult, Dexter King became an attorney and focused on shepherding his father’s legacy and protecting the King family’s intellectual property. In May 1989, King’s mother, Coretta Scott King, named him as her successor as president of the King Center. In addition to serving as chairman of the King Center, he was also president of the King estate.

FILM

Dexter Scott King voiced his father’s 34-year-old self in the 1999 educational film, Our Friend, Martin.The film was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Dexter Scott King also portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2002 American television movie The Rosa Parks Story.

PRODUCER

▪King Holiday by King Dream Chorus & Holiday Crew (1986)
▪Living the Dream: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1988)