MLK's son says Clinton erred controversy is overblown.

Martin Luther King III, in Boston for an announcement that the city will build a statue to honor his parents, said yesterday that Senator Hillary Clinton made a mistake by saying his father's call for racial equality was realized only with a president's action.

The statement has drawn sharp exchanges in recent days between the campaigns of Clinton and Senator Barack Obama.

King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said he thought the controversy had been blown out of proportion. However, he also said that Clinton's words were potentially denigrating.

"I wish it was said in a different way," he said before addressing a packed Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, where his father once preached.

He added later: "What I think, fundamentally, is that, between the media and the two candidates, a lot is being stirred up. What I assume she was trying to say is that a president needs leadership and vision. I don't believe her intent was to diminish my dad."

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, with King beside him at the church, said a committee will choose an artist and explore potential locations for the statue. The mayor said the city plans to raise money from private donors.

He did not say when it would be unveiled or estimate the cost.

Speaking afterward, Councilor Charles Yancey said he had proposed a statue commemorating the Kings in 1999. He said he wants the statue built in City Hall.

"I want my colleagues and the mayor to think about Martin Luther King before they make decisions about a $2.4 billion budget," he said. "I want them to think about Martin Luther King before they make decisions about public safety and public health."

King said a statue in Boston commemorating his parents is important, because the city meant a lot to them. It was where they met. The Kings were educated here in the early 1950s. Martin Luther King Jr. was a doctoral student at Boston University. Coretta Scott King studied voice and violin at the New England Conservatory.
"This is a tremendously special honor to have this statue in a city where my father was educated and met my mother, and where the romance began," King said.

He said he hopes the statue serves as a way for people to learn more about his father, who became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. He noted that yesterday would have been his father's 79th birthday. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

In an interview after his address, King said he has not ruled out making an endorsement in the presidential campaign.

"I've been neutral," he said. "I don't know if that's going to change. I was very excited about the fact that Senator Obama was able to win the Iowa primary. I think that was extremely significant. I'm not endorsing anyone at this point. You don't ever want to say you're not going to, but some of that will be a family decision."

He said he wants to see "the best candidate emerge to the top."

"We're blessed to have three candidates still in the race on the Democratic side who would make great presidents," he said. "On the Republican side, I'm not as clear. What I mean by that is that I haven't seen them come forward and embrace the agenda for black and poor people."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/16/kings_son_says_clinton_erred/

Memo to media: Now that Mr. King, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has spoken out on the Clinton contraversy and expressed no animosity on Ms. Clinton's statement, can you just move on from this?