Dr. Alveda King opens up about family, lessons from her uncle MLK

June 03, 2014

Writer

On tonight's The Glenn Beck Program, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece Alveda King joined Glenn to discuss her new book and what lessons of MLK we should be concentrating on and utilizing right now.

Glenn: There is a reason that everything in life happens, and there is a reason that I met Alveda King. And I don’t think that we have fully explored that entirely yet. I think there’s much more work to do together, but I think of you all the time. And I thank my Heavenly Father for having the opportunity to meet you. You’re a remarkable woman.

Dr. King: I feel the same way about, you know, you and your wife. And you said that…many things that you say and do touch me, but leave your bedroom door open and let your children walk by and see the husband and the wife on their knees praying aloud to God. See, my daddy and my mother used to do that, and I mention that in that book.

Glenn: And by the way, the name of the book is King Rules. Get the book.

Dr. King: And I said gosh, Glenn has a revelation, and that’s part of family, serving that family and serving your children and protecting them. And that’s why we were never afraid. I bet your children are okay because they see you and your wife praying together. No matter how bad things get, if they see that, they’re okay. I mean, somebody might threaten your daddy or they may be concerned when you go to work, I know, but they know you’re praying, and they’re going to be okay.

Glenn: How do you, because you talk about the family, and I want to get to the tweets here at the end because I think this is very wise, but how do you in today’s world…family was different. I think the world has flipped to where, I mean, woe unto him, good is bad, bad is good now, where we had an underlying at least in our own communities, whites and blacks, bad, you know, the white community, bad towards the black community, but each of our own communities were good, I think. It was when we get into race relations. But the black community was strong, had God. Much of the white community, strong, had God. We’re walking around with no God at all or man is God.

Dr. King: Home and family were a sanctuary, and we can get back to that, and I’m beginning to believe that if we just teach that and model that. And so family, wherein whatever that nuclear unit looks like. Now, we have blended families and various models of the family, but to come back and love and respect, not challenging, not fighting.

Even in my own family, we’ve had differences, but there has been a cease-fire. We are beginning to get together. I went to my cousin’s baby’s birthday party the other day and took my granddaughter, my daughters. So you have to have a cease-fire. No matter what the conflict is, come back to 1 Corinthians 13, love never fails. Call a cease-fire, no matter where you are today, if it’s race relations, family relations, marital relations, domestic, cease-fire. Come back to love.

Glenn: In your book, the end, you start doing tweets.

Dr. King: I did.

Glenn: Yeah, and these are tweets that if Martin Luther could tweet, you think he would tweet these.

Dr. King: I believe he would, and you know, I slipped some of granddaddy’s in there, my daddy, A.D., my mama. But many of them you’ll recognize from Martin but not only him. But uncle M.L. was a contemporary man even in his day, and so he and his brother, A.D., liked Star Trek, believe it or not, in the 60s before they died.

Glenn: I can’t imagine those two watching Star Trek.

Dr. King: They really did. Martin Luther King met Nichelle Nichols and told her don’t leave Star Trek, you’re a Negro woman, you’re making a positive image, keep the job. Yes, he did tell her that. Hercules, Batman in its rudimentary days.

Glenn: That is hysterical.

Dr. King: Yeah, that’s the truth.

Glenn: Let me just give, “God, help us to believe we were created for that which is noble and good; help us to live in the light of Your great calling and destiny.” We have a real problem with that.

Dr. King: One hundred-forty characters.

Glenn: “Lord, help me to accept my tools, however dull they are; and then help me to do Your will with these tools.” Explain that.

Dr. King: I saw something in your monologue today, and you were saying okay, everybody’s a genius, but don’t tell somebody to climb a tree, and they’re a fish. I’m paraphrasing, but you said something like that.

Glenn: Yeah.

Dr. King: So just because the fish can’t climb the tree doesn’t mean the fish can’t swim. So whatever tools you’re given, he said you could be a street sweeper or whatever but just be the most excellent of what you are. So take whatever tools you’re given, don’t be jealous of somebody else’s. I can’t walk in your shoes. I might look at you and say I wish I was Glenn Beck, but give me about five seconds of that, and I’d say take it back.

Glenn: Yeah.

Dr. King: Same thing with me.

Glenn: My parents used to say be careful what you wish for, but that is the same as be careful what you covet, because you don’t know.

Dr. King: You’re not prepared for it. You’re not designed for that. I’m designed to be me. You’re designed to be you. Be happy in that and grow. And there’s so much opportunity for everybody on the planet.

Glenn: Where do you go from here? What do you hope to accomplish with this book?

Dr. King: I’m 63 years old. It’s a how-to book. I want people to know what it’s like to grow up in the fishbowl, to grow up in the family of Martin Luther King, to expect to grow from the experiences of wearing a mantle. And when the world looks at that book or looks at Alveda King, remember that she wasn’t perfect, but she served the perfect God.

Glenn: I don’t know if anybody, I mean, you know, we see these images of people, and I don’t even know if it means anything anymore, you know? I don’t know if these images even, most people don’t even know what Abraham Lincoln did. And so I don’t know what those images mean, but we have a couple of problems: One, we’re self-hating egomaniacs. We’re just all about me, me, me, yet we claim that we can’t be perfect, we can’t be better than we are, we can’t be these great people. Then the other thing is we look at these icons –

Dr. King: And they’re not real, many of them. The image that they portray behind that –

Glenn: You lose the struggle.

Dr. King: Yeah, so let’s look for truth, and let’s look for reality. Let this honestly be the first day of the rest of our lives and let it be a good day to move forward, yeah.

Glenn: Alveda King, I love you.

Dr. King: I love you too, Glenn.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

Glenn's Show Prep