On Friday, May 2, 2025, Mayor Eddie Melton proudly presented the key to the City of Gary to Dr. Bernice A. King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and Chief Executive Officer of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center).
From 1959-1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the City of Gary three times. He spoke at St. John Baptist Church with his former classmate Julius James, at Gary’s Memorial Auditorium, and at the City-Wide Freedom Rally in 1962. In 1959, during his first trip, he received the key to the city from Mayor Chacharis. Mayor Melton highlighted the importance of the King family’s ties to Gary in his speech.
“I am deeply honored to welcome Dr. Bernice King and present her with the Key to the City of Gary,” said Mayor Melton. “Through her leadership and unwavering commitment to nonviolent social change, Dr. King continues to carry forward her father’s powerful legacy. Today, we proudly celebrate the enduring bond between our city and the King family.”
Dr. Bernice King spoke about the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence and its model for social action. She also spoke about the legacy left by her father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Everywhere I go, I am honored as well as humbled to carry that legacy. I get asked that question quite often… what is your legacy? I’m thinking, do you not realize that I inherited a legacy? It’s not something that I can lay aside and forget about. It has to be championed; and it has to be carried.”
She spoke about her work as CEO of The King Center, which has been instrumental in promoting nonviolence, social equity, and civic responsibility on a global scale, as well as the importance of doing both hard work of organizing and the “heart work.”
“We want to change the world, but we don’t want to immerse ourselves in what is required to change the world,” said Dr. Bernice King. “Nonviolence is first transformative for the self… so if you believe that it doesn’t work, it means that you didn‘t allow it to work on you first. Because it was never designed to first change the other person, it was designed to change you.”
Also in attendance at City Hall was Indiana State Senator Mark Spencer, who joined the ceremony and presented Dr. King with a formal resolution from his Senate office. The resolution honored Dr. King for her lifelong dedication to civil rights, her passionate advocacy for justice and civility, and her ongoing efforts to uphold and advance the legacy of the King family.
“Dr. Bernice King embodies the enduring spirit of her parents’ legacy,” said Senator Spencer. “Her tireless work to advance justice, equity, and nonviolence has made her a legend in the civil rights community. It is my privilege today to stand next to her in fellowship and present a resolution honoring her impact on justice, peace, and humanity.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. being given the key to the city by former Mayor George Chacharis in 1959. (Photograph courtesy of the Calumet Regional Archives, Indiana University Northwest.)
Dr. Bernice A King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., addresses the crowd during a presentation of the Key to the City of Gary to her by Mayor Eddie Melton on Friday, May 2, 2025.