Martin Luther King's Daughter, Bernice King, Addressed Amy Schumer After The Comedian Posted A Clip Of MLK Saying "That Israel Must Exist"
Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, responded after Amy Schumer shared a video of MLK speaking about Israel.
Since the attacks by Hamas on an Israeli music festival on Oct. 7, around 1,400 Israelis have died. Approximately 8,300 Palestinians have died in retaliatory bombing. Some, including the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, have subsequently called for a ceasefire — which has been rejected by both the US and Israel.
Amy has consistently posted pro-Israel content in the ensuing weeks to some criticism, such as when she deleted an Instagram story about "genocide" that was actually about Palestine. She has further reposted content claiming that people calling for a ceasefire are "aligning with terrorists who pledge to kill every last Jew."
Yesterday, Amy posted a video of MLK speaking in 1967 where he said, "The whole world must see that Israel must exist and has the right to exist and is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world."
Another clip of MLK speaking then plays, where he said, "If my Jewish brothers and sisters said to me amid antisemitism anywhere, 'We don't need your support. We have enough Jewish power to deal with this problem ourselves.' I would still take a stand against antisemitism because it's wrong, it's unjust, and it's evil."
Bernice then wrote on Twitter, "Amy: Certainly, my father was against antisemitism, as am I. He also believed militarism (along with racism and poverty) to be among the interconnected Triple Evils. I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released, and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice."
🧵 Amy: Certainly, my father was against antisemitism, as am I.He also believed militarism (along with racism and poverty) to be among the interconnected Triple Evils. I am certain he would call for Israel’s bombing of Palestinians to cease, for hostages to be released… https://t.co/haahcqcuAf
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) November 1, 2023
She then quoted MLK's Where Do We Go From Here: "Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love." Bernice added, "We have much to correct."
Bernice then included a clip of MLK talking about the Vietnam War, where he said, "We should restrain our power. There's always the danger that any nation will abuse their power, and I think our power must be much more than military power. We don't need to prove to the world or anybody our military power, I think we've got to prove our moral power." When asked at the time if the US had "abused" its power, MLK replied, "Oh, I certainly do, in the war in Vietnam."
and for us to work for true peace, which includes justice. He said, “Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” We have much to correct.Here is a clip of my father talking about withdrawing from the Vietnam War and “moral power.”#MLK pic.twitter.com/Y0ZMp1K6qa
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) November 1, 2023
Bernice then encouraged Amy to read MLK's 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? and concluded, "I mourn with all who are mourning. I know that we can’t afford to diminish & dehumanize each other if we are truly committed to ridding humanity of the Triple Evils & to freedom from oppression for all."
I encourage you to read ‘Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?’ I mourn with all who are mourning. I know that we can’t afford to diminish & dehumanize each other if we are truly committed to ridding humanity of the Triple Evils & to freedom from oppression for all. pic.twitter.com/YOEuKe7yKu
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) November 1, 2023
Beacon Press / Via Twitter: @BerniceKing
Since posting the MLK video, Amy has continued to share anti-ceasefire content. She then posted a statement saying, "What I want is EVERY HOSTAGE back; I want safety and freedom from Hamas for Palestinians and Israelis. [...] We are all in a lot of pain. What hurts the most is that we all actually love each other. You hate Jews. You don't know why. I still love you."