Maybe Bernice King finally saw that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by her father Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. more than 50 years ago, had truly outlived its usefulness.
Or perhaps she found the cast of characters surrounding the SCLC a bit lacking in their ability to help her breathe new life into the civil rights group.
Either way, King came to her senses and announced that she would not take over the leadership of the SCLC, even though she promised to run the group after being elected
to the post two years ago.
For years, the Atlanta-based civil rights group has been making more news for its embarrassing internal legal squabbling than for advancing the rights of black people.
But even if all the SCLC leaders were on the same page, it's hard to see where the group could offer any help in advancing the complex civil rights agenda of black America.
Add to the mix that the SCLC finances are in shambles.
It's surprising it took this look for the light bulb to go on in King's head that rescuing the SCLC was not in the cards.
The NAACP, a far larger and better-funded civil rights group, has trouble remaining relevant with everyday black folks these days with the ever-changing priorities of black America.
So was it ever realistic to expect the SCLC to successfully tackle this task?
The problem with King's decision is that it comes after she spent nearly two years raising the hopes of the few SCLC supporters that she could revitalize the moribund organization.
Just this August, King led a prayer rally to bring an end to the wrangling within the SCLC.
For those misguided yet true believers in the future of the SCLC, it is a shame that Bernice King deserted them.
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