With her brother Martin Luther King III , she has played an active part in reforming the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) once led by her father . When she was elected President and CEO of SCLC on October 30 , 2009 , a position previously held by both her father and brother , she became the first woman to lead the group , but discord in the organization has prevented her taking that position . King 's election was won by a 23-to-15 vote , allowing her to defeat Arkansas judge , Wendell Griffen . Specialists said King would need to move beyond her family history when she took the position the following year . Andra Gillespie , a professor at Emory University in Atlanta , said King could hark back to her father 's legacy , but that she was going to have to " redefine " it . Gillespie also stated that King would have to " figure out a way to push that legacy forward so we do n't perpetuate a stagnant , chauvinistic civil rights agenda . " Despite her excitement being " high " , King noticed the SCLC 's board of directors had started " ignoring " suggestions she made to " revitalize " the organization . King said that she had made suggestions to the SCLC about how the presidency might operate in October 2010 , but was not contacted formally until January , three months later . She stated that she felt " disrespect " by the three months in between her suggestions to the organization and their response . Despite this , she said that she would continue to " pray for them to move in a positive direction " . On October 1 , 2010 , she led a prayer to an audience of around 200 people that had come to pray for healing and reconciliation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference . Through prayer , King said , they would " seek to destroy the work of the enemy . " King called the SCLC preparing to hold two separate conventions " an unfortunate turn of events . " In January 2011 , three months after making the plea , she declined to be SCLC 's president . While in Birmingham , Alabama on August 11 , 2014 for the national convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference , King endorsed having the 2016 Democratic National Convention be held in Birmingham , reasoning the " golden anniversary of civil rights events throughout the south and Birmingham in particular offers added significance " to it being held there
2016 Democratic National Convention
2016 Democratic National Convention
Bernice King