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On Monday, January 20, 2025, rapper Sexyy Red shared a photo of herself and Martin Luther King Jr. at what seemed like a nightclub. The photo, however, did not sit right with MLK Jr.'s youngest, child Bernice King, who called out the rapper for the post. Bernice immediately took to X and wrote a lengthy post urging Sexyy Red to remove the post. In a tweet, Bernice King wrote:
"This is intentionally distasteful, dishonoring, deplorable, and disrespectful to my family and my father, who is not here to respond himself because he was assassinated for working for your civil and human rights and to end war and poverty. Please delete."
The rapper did not retaliate further and chose to apologize to Bernice King for the photo. After deleting it, she shared a post on X and wrote:
"You ain't wrong, never meant to disrespect your family my apologies. Just resposted something I saw that I thought was innocent 🙏🏾."
Bernice responded to Red's apology and confirmed that she had accepted it. She even addressed the rapper and said:
"Thank you for your apology, which I sincerely accept. Please know that it was not my intention that you be denigrated. I value you as a human being..."
Bernice King added that, according to her, Martin Luther King Jr. is often treated as "bit of a caricature to the world." She wrote about how his photos are often used in random context without considering his sacrifices or regard for his family. Bernice then urged people to think from the family's perspective about seeing the photos and mentioning such a personality in a random context.
Bernice concluded by wishing Sexyy Red all the best. Besides Bernice, many netizens also criticized the rapper for the AI-generated photo of MLK Jr.
Bernice King shared several photos of her late father Martin Luther King Jr. on his holiday on January 20
Aside from calling out Sexyy Red for uploading an AI-generated photo of Martin Luther King Jr., Bernice also shared photos capturing moments about her late father. In one tweet, she directly addressed the caption to her father, who was assassinated on April 4, 1968. In the caption, Bernice King wrote that she was grateful to her dad for his life, lessons, and legacy that he left behind. She added:
"May our commemoration move beyond quoting you (often in ways that are intentionally misaligned with your principles and steps of nonviolence) to hopeful, strategic, mass nonviolent action. Thank You, Daddy."
Along with the caption is a heartwarming photo of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bernice when she was a baby. Civil rights leaders MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott King welcomed Bernice in March 1963, just five years before the former was assassinated. King's youngest daughter, Bernice, is currently a lawyer and minister.
As for Bernice King and Sexyy Red's interaction, many users pointed it out as a being a respectful one. Many even particularly referred to Red's response and how well she handled it. However, few were still skeptical of the rapper's actions.
