MLK's niece says Don Lemon, ICE protesters should remember uncle's calls to protest peacefully

Alveda King, a gospel singer, evangelist, and niece of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., believes that if her uncle were alive today, he would be stressing the importance of unity and nonviolence amid ongoing unrest against immigration enforcement officers.

During a Monday interview with The Christian Post on the 41st Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the 74-year-old evangelist appealed to the legacy of her uncle, who would have turned 97 this year, to offer her thoughts on the violent tension in Minnesota.

Minneapolis has been roiled in recent weeks with protests against U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) officials after two ICE-involved shootings, including the death of 37-year-old Renee Good.

King, who serves in the Trump administration as a senior advisor on Faith and Community Outreach at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urged protesters to remember that her uncle emphasized the importance of remaining peaceful during protests.

"With the situation of ICE and the attempt to bring anarchy under control, of course there would be some disturbance or disagreement on both sides," she said.

"Don Lemon may not remember that Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged nonviolence and, as a youth organizer in the 1960s, we were taught to be nonviolent and to protest peacefully."

On Sunday, former CNN host Don Lemon accompanied a group of anti-ICE protesters who stormed a church service at Cities Church — a Baptist congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota — where one of the pastors also serves as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul field office. The worship service was forced to end early.

Lemon, who recorded the incident on a livestream, invoked the Civil Rights Movement as he narrated the incident while demonstrators harassed churchgoers attempting to worship. Lemon then interrogated Jonathan Parnell, the lead pastor of Cities Church, who calmly asked them to leave the building as Lemon grilled him about the U.S. Constitution and how Jesus would treat the disruptive protesters.

As families were fleeing the church with their frightened children, Lemon acknowledged that some likely found the experience "uncomfortable and traumatic," but said, "That's what protesting is about."

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the protesters for potential violations of federal law, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994, which prohibits "intentionally injuring, intimidating, or interfering with... [anyone] seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship."

Alveda King also noted that her uncle understood the necessity of law enforcement.

"So, Martin Luther King Jr. did support peaceful, non-violent protest. However, there were times when he was aware that the National Guard was needed, for example. And of course, the presence of the National Guard helped to quell the storms."

"And so, if my uncle were here today, I truly believe he would remind us we must learn to live together as brothers — and I will add, as sisters — and not perish together as fools," she added.

Touching on her uncle's impact, Alveda King said he often cited Jesus' teachings in Matthew 20:27-29. He taught, "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."

"My uncle often would quote, 'If you want to be great in God's kingdom, you must be a servant of all.' Martin Luther King Jr., with all of his faults and all of his humanity, was definitely a servant leader who loved God, served God and cared for humanity," Alveda King said.

Last year, King issued a call to action, urging the nation to come together "to support one another, recognizing that we are all one blood, one human race, from the womb to the tomb and beyond."

As the widening spiritual divide between opposing sides in the U.S. continues to grow, King expressed optimism that all are capable of change with God's help.

"I believe with God, all things are possible," she said. "My classic example of that is George Wallace, who at one time was a very virulent, racist governor [of Alabama]. Before he passed away, he repented of all of his sins and He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior."

"I believe once we understand Acts 17:26 — that 'of one blood' God created all people — we will see ourselves as human beings, and that we can work on our situations without the strife that brings the violence into the picture."

King stressed the importance of forgiveness when it comes to handling the nation's present troubles and healing its past wounds.

"I have a favorite Scripture to answer that: it starts in Mark 11. 'Have faith in God, and when you pray, believe and you can have what you say; and when you pray, forgive, so that your heavenly Father can forgive you.'"

"So that whole formula — faith in God, praying in faith and receiving what you believe and forgiving, so that God can forgive you — as a matter of fact, that's in what's called the model prayer, that's called the Lord's Prayer. 'Forgive us our sins, as we forgive our trespassers,' and so we have to forgive and be forgiven. That's very, very important."