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The 15-year-old granddaughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is collaborating on a picture book tribute to the late civil rights leader and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Yolanda Renee King’s “We Dream a World,” with illustrations by award-winning artist Nicole Tadgell, will be published by Scholastic next Jan. 2.
“I’m excited to share this love letter in his honor. This book lets every child rediscover my grandparents’ dream,” Yolanda Renee King, herself a social justice advocate, said in a statement Friday.
ABC News reports the book’s release date is timed shortly before what would have been Martin Luther King’s 95th birthday. He was assassinated in 1968, 40 years before his granddaughter was born.
Scholastic is describing the book as a “call for unity and equality.”
The publisher says “the book’s narrative expresses Yolanda’s deep love for her grandparents, while also speaking to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future, as expressed through her call-and-response affirmation that brings thunderous participation at her public speeches and addresses: “Spread the word! Have you heard? We are going to be a new generation!”
“When you realize the significance of what comes with that name, it can be a lot of pressure. But I am also lucky enough to have parents who have told me ‘you don’t have to be like your grandfather, you don’t have to be like your grandmother,’” Yolanda said.
“They never really forced me to do activism, this has been a decision of my own.”
“You have to go out and support those movements,” Yolanda said. “Although you may not be old enough to vote, you are the future. You and your decisions determine the future of the world.”