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Arndrea Waters King and Martin Luther King III on America's soul

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Ali Velshi and the King Family On Making The World One In Brotherhood

The MS NOW host and Citizen board member talks with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King about Dr. King's legacy, and the soul of America

Listen

Ali Velshi and the King Family On Making The World One In Brotherhood

The MS NOW host and Citizen board member talks with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King about Dr. King's legacy, and the soul of America

BY Ali Velshi

Jan. 20, 2026

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied Americans during the Civil Rights Movement to speak out against injustice and rally for the dignity and humanity of all people. His message is, sadly, as resonant today as it was in the 1960s. The Trump administration has ordered armed federal agents in several cities to round up and arrest immigrants and even American citizens as they fight to protect their neighbors and communities. In recognition of the holiday honoring Dr. King, I welcomed Martin Luther King III and his wife Arndrea Waters King, both social justice activists, to talk about MLK’s legacy.

“Every year, we felt like we were advancing,” said King III. “Now it feels like we’re going backward.”

“I think we’re at a point where none of us can no longer be neutral, and we really are looking at a battle for the soul of America,” said Waters King.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Americans of all creeds and colors put their bodies on the line for their fellow Americans. They were boycotting businesses that refused to hire and serve Black people. They demonstrated nonviolently against government services, schools, and public transportation systems that segregated Black and White Americans.

Today, many Americans find themselves shopping and delivering groceries for their immigrant neighbors who are afraid to leave the house for fear of being kidnapped off the street. Attorneys and aid organizations are scrambling to protect those who are trying to navigate the immigration and citizenship process without being separated from their families and deported.

Nonviolent protest and civil disobedience are part of the lasting legacy of King and his fight for racial equality. Dr. King called on his fellow Americans, in a speech opposing the Vietnam War, to take on the very responsibilities we must take on now: “We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.”

 

LISTEN: VELSHI AND THE KING FAMILY ON BROTHERHOOD

 

WATCH: ALI VELSHI, ARNDREA WATERS KING, AND MARTIN LUTHER KING III

 

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Ali Velshi, Martin Luther King III, and Arndrea Waters King

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