MLK Symposium

About Donzaleigh Abernathy

Donzaleigh Abernathy is the youngest daughter of American Civil Rights Movement co-founder Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy and the goddaughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She has been immersed in civil rights activism with her family since childhood, growing up amidst pivotal events such as the Freedom Riders and the March on Washington. She witnessed first-hand the integral decisions that helped shape federal legislation, including the Civil Rights Bill, the Public Accommodations Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Free Meal Program for Low-Income Students.

She is the author of “Partners to History: Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement,” nominated as one of the “Best Books for Young Adults” by the American Library Association. Abernathy is also an accomplished actress who starred in award-winning films and television series, including “Don King-Only in America” and “Miss Evers Boys.” She produced and directed the documentary “Saint Francis Medical Center” and “The Women of Niagara.”  Her play “Birmingham Sunday” won the Tanne Foundation Award.

Abernathy is a founding Trustee of the New Visions Foundation/Coalition for Engaged Education and continues her commitment to social justice and education through her volunteer work with Juveniles in the Los Angeles County Justice System.