Dr. Alveda King, niece of late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., will be speaking at Otterbein College on April 8.

Her speech, titled “How Can the Dream Survive?” will start at 7 p.m. in the Rike Center at Otterbein College at 180 Center St., Westerville. This event is free to all who would like to attend. All students and members of the Columbus community are invited.

King is a popular civil rights speaker who sees the pro-life movement as an extension of the civil rights movement. She spoke in Washington DC in January of 2008 with this message: “We are all entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion takes away our pursuit of happiness.” King will talk about her own life experiences and decisions about abortion when visiting Otterbein.

This event is hosted by the pro-life group at Otterbein College, Otterbein Students for Life thanks to funding from Greater Columbus Right to Life (GCRTL).

Otterbein Students for Life is active at Otterbein College hosting speakers, showing life-related movies, holding diaper drives for Pregnancy Decision Health Centers and celebrating the right to a birthday by passing out free cake.

Otterbein Students for Life has teamed up for this event with Greater Columbus Right to Life (GCRTL), a group with a mission to promote a culture that protects innocent human life from conception until natural death through their five core strategies:  educate, advocate, legislate, unify and multiply.

According to Ruth Yorston of GCRTL, “Greater Columbus Right to Life is thrilled to assist Otterbein Students for Life in bringing Dr. King to speak on campus. Dr. King is a great leader in today’s continuing civil rights movement. I am sure many would be encouraged by her personal experiences in the heat of the civil rights battles led by her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the heat of the battle to defend the pre-born.”

Alveda King is also the founder of King for America, a faith-based organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people spiritually, physically, intellectually and socially.

King for America actively supports its communities by donating books to children, working with pro-life organizations, aiding the homeless and fostering awareness of the continuing civil rights movement, just to name a few goals of the organization.