While Martin Luther King Jr. Day may be over, online conversations about his legacy and the usage of his image are taking centerstage thanks to his daughter Bernice King and an unlikely person: rapper Sexyy Red. Don’t worry, we’ll explain.
It all started on Monday when Red shared a couple of since-deleted AI images of her and MLK Jr on social media. In one, the “Get It Sexyy” rapper could be seen in a scantily-cla outfit standing next to the civil rights leader in front during the March on Washington from 1963. In a second image, the two could be seen holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.
Well, once those pictures began to circulate online, they caught the attention of of Bernice and she immediately took to X/Twitter to express her displeasure.
“This is intentionally distasteful, dishonoring, deplorable, and disrespectful to my family and my father, who is not here to respond himself because he was assassinated for working for your civil and human rights and to end war and poverty. Please delete,” she wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, she further clarified:
“Please don’t project your thoughts onto me. I don’t believe Sexyy Red to be a ‘degenerate,’ ‘ghetto,’ or ‘trash.’ I have spoken out in the past about the use of and comparison to either of my parents to denigrate other people. I just don’t understand this type of use of my father’s image (on #MLKDay, no less), in a way that does not convey what we know to be true about his service and sacrifice. Even if you disagree with him or with his tactics or even believe things said about him by people who hated him, why do this?”
Thankfully, in a positive move, Sexyy seemingly saw the error in her ways and issued an apology to the Bernice, penning in a later tweet: “You ain’t wrong, never meant to disrespect your family my apologies. Just reposted something I saw that I thought was innocent.”
And while this exchanged was able to wrap up smoothly and the rapper was able to walk away with a lesson learned—the underlying message as to how we as people decided to use images of the slain civil rights leader who sacrificed way more than any of us could ever imagine began bubbling up to the surface.
This isn’t the first time MLK Jr.’s daughter has spoken out about how people use photos and pictures of her father in ways that do nothing to honor the powerful legacy that he left behind. But it should be the last time she should have to get on her proverbial soap box to keep people from publicizing disrespectful or blatantly bad flyers, posters, and images of him—whether it’s intentional or not. He was a man who did so much for us as a community. Photoshopping MLK Jr. with grills and chains or using his image in a negative manner to promote events do nothing to truly point to all the work he did.
And while some things can truly be done in a harmless manner, how those images might land for his family—who are still very much alive and dedicated to furthering the work to this day—should always be considered.
“It’s a privilege that we even have MLK’s DAUGHTER, not great granddaughter, DAUGHTER THAT HE RAISED, in the same stratosphere as us to disseminate his teachings. Being disrespectful to her is to disrespect him. Do yall have any shame? At all?” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Bernice King is right and that mean yall need to keep MLK off them flyers too,” wrote another.
“If Bernice King says stop posting pictures of her deceased, assassinated father as a caricature, the only words that should be said are, “Yes ma’am,” another said.
Added another, “Bernice King has never played about her father’s legacy or his likeness. Idgaf who in that damn picture, if she doesn’t like it that’s the end of it. She doesn’t owe an explanation to anyone about her damn father.”
“Dudes on here really arguing with Bernice King on what she finds disrespectful to her father. A black man going back forth...with Dr. King’s daughter. TF is going on here? Are yall insane?” another questioned.
Hopefully, with Sexyy now seeing where she went wrong, others can begin to follow in her footsteps and keep honor on the King name and legacy.