Martin Luther King’s daughter talks at walk for reconciliation in Vancouver

VANCOUVER – The daughter of former American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., will deliver the keynote address in Vancouver at the start of a walk for reconciliation related to Canada’s residential school system.

Bernice A. King, a Baptist minister and the youngest daughter of the iconic leader, will speak on Sept. 22 as part of a gathering of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Karen Joseph, executive director of Reconciliation Canada, says Bernice King’s appearance at the event is especially meaningful this year, during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is gathering testimony from Sept. 18 to 22 in Vancouver from survivors of the government-run residential school system, which operated in Canada between 1875 to 1996.

The University of B.C. has suspended almost all classes on its Vancouver campus next Wednesday to encourage students and faculty to attend the event, which is part of a settlement between the Canadian government, victims and various churches.

It’s the sixth of seven national gatherings to inform Canadians about the residential school system before the final event in Edmonton next year, followed by a report on the subject.