 Born in Montgomery, Alabama, two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and triggered the movement that ultimately desegregated the South, Yolanda King has been in the midst of the struggle for human rights all of her life. The oldest child of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Yolanda has participated in numerous civil and human rights demonstrations and has spoken before countless religious, educational, civic and human rights groups. Committed to using her talents to affect social and personal change through the arts, Ms. King has combined her involvement with human rights organizations and causes with her artistic pursuits. As she explains, "While it is imperative to actively challenge the forces that deny human beings their right to a decent life... one must also stimulate and alter the hearts and minds of both the privileged as well as those who have been too long denied. Within the arts lies this power." Ms. King was a founding member of Christian Theatre Artists and for ten years she served as Co-Founding Director of NUCLEUS, (a company of performing artists dedicated to promoting positive energy through the arts) with Attallah Shabazz, the eldest child of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz. In 1990, she formed Higher Ground Productions. Its first project was "Tracks" a multimedia theatrical production celebrating the philosophy of Dr. King. Ms. King starred in the production that toured the country for 4 years. Higher Ground Production's most recent project, "Achieving the Dream," premiered during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia and is slated for a national tour. Ms. King has been honored with numerous presentations, awards and citations by organizations around the country and was named to Outstanding Young Women of America. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (the official national memorial to Dr. King) and is founding Director of the King Center 's Cultural Affairs Program. She is a lifetime member of the N.A.A.C.P., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Habitat for Humanity and the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , Georgia .
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