ATLANTA — The King family gathered to celebrate the life of the late Dexter Scott King.
Crowds filled the pews at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta Saturday evening to honor Dexter with a vigil.
It was an evening of music, movement, and memories.
Despite the King family's many losses, the theme of the evening was the spirit of gratefulness.
Dexter's wife, Leah Weber King, shared their love story and why they kept it private.
"I'm so thankful to have loved and to have been loved by Dexter Scott King," Leah said.
The family said they were grateful for the short time they had with Dexter. He died at 39. Dr. Bernise King remembers how her brother always marched to the beat of his own drum and how he was ahead of his time.
"A very analytical, brilliant person, a strategist—par excellent," Bernice said.
During a video of the service, Dexter was said to be "rocked to sleep to the melody of 'We Shall Overcome.'"
"You, my love, were born a king, beautifully sculpted with the physical traits and intellect of the most revered and impactful man of our time," Leah said.
And as the son of two great forces in the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King, Dexter followed in their footsteps.
"Dexter was helping us to pioneer and open up doors for people so that they, too, can build generational wealth," Bernice said.
His vigil gave us a walk through his history, like when he sat down with the man accused of killing his father. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated when Dexter was seven years old.
"Your efforts weren't always met with praise or seen clearly by others," Leah said. "Your vision was often met with disagreements, challenges, and, yes, sometimes conflict."
His family said instead of being resentful, Dexter led with love. And to that, they said, 'Well done.'"
"Dexter, I know, has been welcomed home with Mom and Dad and Yolanda," his brother Martin Luther King, III continued. "He's run his race. Now, it's up to us."
Dexter's program calls him "The keeper of the dream."
In lieu of flowers, the King family has asked everyone to donate to The King Center to honor Dexter.