Who is Shaun King?
Shaun King is a popular American activist and writer. He is known for using social media to fight against racism and to promote social justice, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. In 2018, TIME Magazine listed Shaun as one of the 25 most influential people on the internet.
Shaun King’s full name is Jeffery Shaun King. He was born on September 17, 1979, in Franklin County, Kentucky, United States. As of May 2024, the activist is 44 years old.
About Shaun King’s parents
Shaun King is the son of Naomi Kay Fleming. Information about his father has caused a stir in the public space. According to reports gathered by DNB Stories Africa, his birth certificate identified a white man, Jeffery Wayne King, as his father.
However, in 2015, Shaun stated that his mother told him that his actual father is a light-skinned Black man. He was later accused of lying about his race by the public after making the claim. He refuted the allegations with an article he posted on Daily Kos to affirm that he is biracial.
King shared on Daily Kos in 2015:
“The reports about my race, about my past, and about the pain I’ve endured are all lies. My mother is a senior citizen. I refuse to speak in detail about the nature of my mother’s past, or her sexual partners, and I am gravely embarrassed to even be saying this now, but I have been told for most of my life that the white man on my birth certificate is not my biological father and that my actual biological father is a light-skinned Black man”.
Unofficial sources say that Shaun King’s mother, Naomi Kay Fleming, was born in Kentucky in 1958. As of May 2024, Fleming is 66 years old.
About Shaun King’s siblings
Shaun King has two siblings named Jason King and Russ King. However, Jason passed away in 2018 after battling pancreatic cancer. According to the tribute written by Shaun in memory of his late brother, Jason was born on February 25th, 1974 in Versailles, Kentucky. He was married to a woman called Kari Anderson, and they had two children named Josiah and Elana.
In a post shared on Medium, Shaun King wrote:
“Today we’ve all gathered together to celebrate the life and ministry of Jason King. We mourn not just because we loved him so much, but because we all know that someone who loved us unconditionally no longer walks among us. We had precisely 16,283 days of him on this earth, but somehow it still feels like we were all robbed. That’s because to know Jason was to be sincerely and earnestly loved and supported by him. In a world of toxic masculinity and dangerous bigotry, he exuded a calm compassion and warmth for everyone around him.”
At the time of his passing, Jason King was 44 years old. However, information about Shaun’s other sibling, Russ King, is currently unavailable.
About Shaun King’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article, Shaun King is happily married. The activist has been married to his wife Rai King since 2001.
Who is Shaun King’s wife – Rai King?
Shaun King’s wife Rai King is an American activist, podcaster, and educator. She works as a part-time college lecturer of race, gender, and identity at Rutgers University. She also co-hosts a podcast alongside Dr. Blanca Ruiz called “WOC at Work”. Rai is the co-founder and media face of Real Justice PAC. Aside from being a lecturer, Rai King works as a senior director of strategy, growth, and external affairs for Ember Charter Schools.
Rai King was born on July 16, 1981. As of May 2024, she is 42 years old. King reportedly runs a charity account for children who cannot get a proper education or whose studies are left out for some reason.
Rai King holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Spelman College. In 2017, she received her Master’s degree from Arizona State University.
About Shaun King’s marriage to Rai King
Shaun King and Rai King met in 1996 in Sunday School as teenagers. However, when they initially met, they were in relationships with other people. After dating for close to five years, the couple tied the knot in 2001. Shaun and Rai King have been happily married for 23 years and still counting.
Interestingly, they made the headline in March 2024 after they formally converted to Islam from Christianity in the presence of Palestinian-American Imam, Omar Suleiman.
List of Shaun King’s past relationships and girlfriends
Apart from Shaun King’s marriage to Rai King, there is scarce information about his past relationships or girlfriends.
Shaun King’s children
As of the time of publishing this article (May 2024), Shaun King has five children from his marriage to Rai King. However, two of his children were adopted. His biological children are Kendi King, Ezekiel King, and Savannah King, while his adopted children are Taeyonna King and Zayah King.
Below is a list of all Shaun King’s children:
a. Kendi King
Kendi is the first biological child of Shaun and Rai. She was born in 2002, a year after her parents got married. As of May 2024, Kendi King is 22 years old. In 2021, Kendi was involved in a car accident. As a result, she suffered some brain trauma as well as multiple head and body injuries.
The young lady seems to be a writer like her father. She penned down some heart-melting messages in 2021 after the address of their home was discovered.
She wrote in a newsletter:
“Last week, our family’s address, the address where my mother and siblings and puppies live was posted by multiple news outlets. Pictures of the front of our house, the yard where my siblings play, were everywhere. My family who has done nothing to deserve this now has to pack up our lives and leave my mother’s house tirelessly to buy. This was her dream home. She put the wallpaper up herself. For the first time, my siblings got to have their own rooms.
I am an activist, a fighter for justice, but I am finding it harder to fight. This is just a moment, and it will pass. I know. But it’s hard to see my family struggle so terribly, to watch my siblings cry because they have to leave their school and friends and home.”
b. Ezekiel King
Ezekiel King is the second and only male child Shaun and Rai have. He was born in 2006 and is currently 18 years old. Not much information is currently available about Ezekiel King.
c. Savannah King
Savannah King is her parents’ third child. She was born in 2009. As of May 2024, Savannah King is 15 years old. There is little or no available information about the teenager.
d. Taeyonna King
Taeyonna King is the first adopted child of King and his wife. She was born to a teenage mother in 1999. Shaun and Rai had been taking care of her since her birth, only to take full custody of her in 2004, at age 5. Taeyonna King is currently 25 years old.
e. Zayah King
Zayah King is the second adopted child of her parents. She was born in 2013. Shaun and Rai adopted her at birth. As of May 2024, Zayah King is 11 years old.
About Shaun King and Rai King’s religion
Shaun and Rai formally converted to Islam from Christianity on the eve of Ramadan in March 2024. According to reports, the couple changed their religion due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Shaun live-streamed the conversion ceremony via his IG page.
The activist made it known that his conversion was a means of showing support to the Palestinians.
On an Instagram Live, King said:
“The past six months of suffering, pain and trauma that we’ve seen in Gaza. It has touched me in the most profound ways to see people right now in the most dangerous, traumatic place on the planet still be able to sometimes look at nothing but rubble and the remains of their family, and still see meaning and purpose in life.
Their faith and their devotion to Islam has not only opened my heart but has opened the hearts of millions of people around the world”.
