Mychal Givens, Chris Broussard and Jane Elliot to be among featured guests on podcast launching in September
NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 – The Major League Baseball Players Trust today announced it will be the inaugural sponsor of a weekly podcast produced by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center). The podcast, ReThink, will provide a forum to discuss ways to counter increasing hate and divisiveness in our society.
Set to launch later this month, the podcast aspires to continue the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King through constructive discussion of ideas and strategies to reverse destructive trends and foster the positive change necessary to unify our communities.
“We are honored to have the Players Trust as our inaugural sponsor for The ReThink Podcast. It is critical that individuals, organizations, and corporations all come together to help uproot white supremacist thinking and dismantle unjust and inhumane systems in this country that perpetuate racial and economic inequities,” said King Center CEO, Dr. Bernice A. King.
Dr. King continued, “As my father Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.’ We are committed to use this platform to speak truth to power and provide the necessary tools and strategies to prepare this next generation of leaders to create a just, humane, equitable and peaceful world.”
Over 12 episodes, co-hosts Cameron Friend and Farris Watkins will explore a variety of topics, including global women’s rights, the criminal justice system in America and the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans. Among the scheduled guests are Dr. Bernice A. King, Cincinnati Reds reliever Mychal Givens, FOX Sports analyst Chris Broussard and diversity educator Jane Elliot.
“I’m honored to be a guest on ReThink,” said Givens. “It’s so incredibly important to have this type of platform that not only honors Dr. King’s philosophies, but empowers others to use his methodologies in local communities.”
Friend oversees The King Center’s Leadership Academy, an intensive program that helps 13- to 19-year- old students develop into global citizens who inspire nonviolent social change across the world. Watkins, the great-niece of the late Dr. King, is a 2019 graduate of Spelman College and a 2021 graduate of Gupton- Jones College of Funeral Services. She works alongside her father, Willie A. Watkins, as a junior executive in their family business, Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home. A gifted singer and orator, she previously hosted the youth portion of televised King Holiday Observance Commemorative programs.
“Dr. King’s nonviolent activism to advance equality is taking on a new sense of urgency today,” said Amy Hever, Director of the Players Trust. “We hope the discussions on the podcast will remind millions of people around the world that social change is possible if we all work at it together peacefully.”
Episodes of the “ReThink Podcast” will be available to listeners every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with a video version posted on the King Center’s YouTube channel.
In accordance with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology, The King Center provides education and training, supports advocacy, and fosters research. The Center is also a global destination, resource center, and community institution, attracting over one million individuals and families from all over the world each year. The King Center’s goal is to create a society where injustice ceases and love prevails, which is especially needed during periods of crisis.