Student Author Keeping Dr. King’s Legacy Alive Through New Book
posted by Kinaya Gibson | April 2, 2024 | In Arts and Culture, NewsOn April 9, Fayetteville State University student Stephon Ferguson will officially make his debut as an author with the release of Legacy Reloaded: A Nonviolent Awakening. Ferguson, for twenty years, has been embodying the character of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through voiceover work, where nine of those years he spent his time working for The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia reciting the infamous “I Have a Dream” speech to guests of all kinds.
Ferguson’s aims to bring back the nonviolent approach in activism to today’s society. With his personal connections to the King family, he has been able to truly draw a complete picture of nonviolence and its importance from a legacy that was at the forefront of the philosophical movement.
Ferguson believes that there are aspects of the nonviolent principles that young activists who want to start their own movements should be using.
“So, I would say that before, when thinking about starting a movement, try to be a part of a movement that’s already in existence, if you can.” Ferguson said. “And if you want to start a movement, look at the principles of nonviolence and do it. And nonviolence isn’t just not the opposite of violence, which a lot of people think … it is actually an antidote for violence.”
Over the past years, Ferguson has been able to make connections with all of Dr. King’s children, except for Yolanda King due to her passing, and with some of the King’s extended family. He told stories about his encounters with the family from receiving a letter from Yolanda before she passed giving kudos for the work, he was doing in the school systems with her father’s legacy.
He even spoke on his several encounters with the late Dexter King, who recently passed from his battle from cancer:
“He was just the most gracious, humble, person you would ever want to meet,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson encourages audiences to read Legacy Reloaded: A Nonviolent Awakening because: “They will enjoy understanding the connection between then and now and how we can look at yesterday to use it today.”
Photo Courtesy of Stephon Ferguson
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