Martin Luther King III 'perplexed' by Huckabee comments

Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, said he was “perplexed” by GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee’s comments last week suggesting that his father would be “appalled” by the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I think dad would be very proud of young people standing up to promote truth, justice and equality,” King said during an interview on SiriusXM radio. “I was perplexed by the comments, but people attempt to use dad for everything.”


King’s comments come in response to a CNN interview last week in which the former Arkansas governor spoke out against the Black Lives Matter movement, saying racism is “more of a sin problem than a skin problem.”

“When I hear people scream, ‘black lives matter,’ I think, of course they do. … But all lives matter. It’s not that any life matters more than another,” Huckabee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “That’s the whole message that Dr. King tried to present, and I think he’d be appalled by the notion that we’re elevating some lives above others.”

King’s son quickly dismissed Huckabee’s statement. “I can’t imagine how anyone could say that he would be incensed that Black Lives are doing what they are doing. The reality is what Black Lives Matter are raising as an issue is an issue,” he said.

Huckabee’s remarks come as the Black Lives Matter movement becomes a growing presence on the campaign trail — with protesters showing up at rallies for both Republican and Democratic candidates to press for them to more aggressively address the issues of police violence and institutional racism.