Bernice King declines SCLC presidency

The daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has declined the post her father once held as president of the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference, according to a written statement Friday.

The Rev. Bernice A. King was elected to the office in October 2009, the statement said, but never served as president as a string of legal battles divided the 53-year-old organization.

"I envisioned SCLC emerging as the vanguard for next-generation nonviolent activism in the tradition of my father," King said. "Amidst the turmoil, chaos and confusion surrounding SCLC over the last 15 months, my team and I dedicated an exhaustive amount of time, energy and resources to assess the organization and prepare for my transition."

Read the full story here about why Bernice King turned down the SCLC.