ERRIN HAINES
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA – After nearly 10 months of silence, the Rev. Bernice King urged the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on Tuesday to end the bitter infighting that has split the group she was elected to lead.
King said at a news conference she still plans to lead the civil rights group but declined to say when she would take the post. She has indicated she would wait out the bickering and legal wrangling.
“I believe that the time is now for us to come together in unity as one SCLC,” King said. “A house divided against itself cannot stand. The SCLC family must be about the business of restoring, rebuilding and redeeming its own internal soul as we continue in our quest to redeem the soul of America.”
Shortly after her election in October by a unified SCLC, the leadership of the group co-founded by her father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., split into two factions that have since met and made decisions separately. The SCLC is awaiting a decision from a judge as to which faction controls the group.
As the factions prepare to host dueling conventions in the next week, King says she will lead a prayer vigil for the SCLC on Friday at Ebenezer Baptist Church – where her father preached from 1960 until his death in 1968 and across the street from where her parents are buried.
“We must never forget that the SCLC is a Christian organization and prayer is a part of our foundation,” she said. “We will pray that SCLC is restored as a moral voice for our nation and world.”
Bernice King has not decided whether she will attend either of the conventions.
On Tuesday, King – who is also a lawyer – said she had originally intended to take office in April but waited because of the ongoing court battle. Still, King said she has been meeting with her transition team and preparing for her eventual role as head of SCLC
She said the strife of the past several months has been difficult to watch. In May, for example, one side chained and padlocked doors to keep the other side out of the group’s downtown Atlanta headquarters. The chains were later cut.
“Today, I stand before you with a heavy, yet hopeful heart,” she said. “I am still committed to leading this great organization further into the 21st century. Amidst the chaos and confusion, there is still a resounding hope.”
King said that the SCLC’s work is not done and that she believes the experience will make the organization stronger.
The Rev. Richard Cobble, president of Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta and a supporter of King, said he believes she can mend the rift.
“We come out of Ebenezer,” Cobble said. “I believe that Elder Bernice King is an able leader.”
According to the SCLC’s website, some leaders are planning a five-day convention scheduled to begin on Aug. 7 at a hotel in Atlanta. The opposing faction is also planning a three-day convention beginning Aug. 13 at a church in Decatur.
The SCLC was co-founded by ministers Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Joseph Lowery and others in 1957 and was a leading force in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.