This is how Martin Luther King's 13-year-old granddaughter thinks you should spend this holiday

By Maya

At just 13 years old, Yolanda Renee King is already a seasoned speaker and activist.

Many may have first noticed the similarities between her and her grandfather, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. when he took the stage at the 2018 March for Our Lives student-led rally in Washington DC, to talk about gun control.

Or perhaps when he spoke about racial equality on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 2020.

King's granddaughter and his wife, Coretta Scott King, Yolanda is using her voice this MLK Day to bring attention to the importance of the right to vote, and why younger generations need to get involved in the fight. 

[The House of Representatives passes a law that will protect the right to vote]

“My family and I have been working to pass two important bills that can make it easier for people to vote, because one of the fundamental rights is the right to vote.

Everyone has to have access to a ballot box,” he recalled. 

President Joe Biden addressed the urgency of passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act during a speech in Georgia on Tuesday.

Each bill aims to create more accessibility and equality in the voting process.

Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., raises her fist as she speaks during the March on Washington, on the 57th anniversary of her grandfather's 'I Have a Dream' speech, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.Jonathan Ernst/AP

Proponents of these two bills argue that they will allow more people of color to participate in elections, while also implementing regulations to avoid Election Day challenges, such as waiting several hours in line to cast a ballot. 

Although Yolanda is not yet old enough to vote, she says she has always felt compelled to help others. 

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“There are even moments that my parents have told me about and that I don't even remember.

For example, every day we would drive to school and see homeless people.

And when I was 3 or 4 years old, I was already talking about them, asking: 'What are we going to do to help them?

Yolanda said she has learned about her influential family both at home and at school. 

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris commemorate Martin Luther King Day

Jan. 18, 202101:46

“Throughout my life, my parents have instilled in me that my family has done 'a really phenomenal job.'

And that I am 'the granddaughter of truly amazing people who changed this country and the world.'

I didn't really understand its importance until I got older," he explained.

[Biden condemns pressure for minority voting rights during speech in Philadelphia]

His grandfather's birthday officially became a federal holiday in 1986: The third Monday in January honors King, who would have turned 93 this year.

“MLK Day is not a day off.

It should be treated like a day at work.

It is a day of service,” said Yolanda.

While some might be inclined to celebrate the day by reflecting on their grandfather's life, there are more impactful ways to spend the holiday, according to the young woman.

“I think that instead of idolizing my grandfather, we should choose a service project and do something to help the community,” said Yolanda.

“It could be something as simple as picking up trash at your neighborhood park,” he suggested.

With her family's legacy and prominence helping to elevate her voice to the national stage, she has always felt she could carry her own message. 

Yolanda Renee King speaks on behalf of her grandfather Martin Luther King Jr. during a voting rights rally Saturday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Phoenix, Ariz. Rick Scuteri/AP Images for Deliver for Voting Rights.

“When you realize the importance of what that name carries, it can be a lot of pressure.

But I am also lucky 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', explained Yolanda.  

"Actually they never forced me to do activism, this has been my own decision," he clarified.

[Biden signs an executive order to improve wages and limit the power of big business]

On January 18, Yolanda will reflect on the holiday and give a speech at the Washington National Cathedral.

For those not yet old enough to vote, he suggests using the power of your voice and influence to move the needle of progress your way.

“You have to go out and support those movements.

Although you are not old enough to vote, you are the future.

You and your decisions determine the future of the world."