CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The eldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King is coming to the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

According to a release, Martin Luther King III has accepted an appointment to serve as a Professor of Practice.

“I am delighted to join the Center for Politics as a Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia, and to do so during the anniversary month when my father addressed UVA 61 years ago makes this appointment all the more meaningful,” said King. “Like my parents, I have devoted my career to social justice advocacy and combatting some of the most troubling issues of our time including poverty, racism and violence. I look forward to continuing that work with the Center for Politics.”

He is the second person to be appointed to this type of position at the center, with the first being former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

King’s father actually spoke on Grounds at Old Cabell Hall on March 25, 1963, when a group of students created the Thomas Jefferson Virginia Council on Human Relations and asked him to come talk about social injustice, persecution and discrimination at UVA.

King will be making his first appearance as a Professor of Practice also at Old Cabell Hall on April 5, during a University Chamber Singers concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the UVA Center for Politics.

The release adds King will also be a featured speaker during the anniversary weekend on April 6, with full details to be released later.

King has continued the work of his parents, spending his time promoting global human rights and social justice, which has earned him a reputation as a respected international statesman and a passionate advocate for the poor and oppressed.

“Professor King brings a wealth of experience in social justice, politics, human rights and much more, and we’re thrilled that he has chosen the Center for Politics,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics. “I know the students will enjoy getting to know him and learning from his vast experience in the public arena.”

"He's advocating for the things that his father cared about. We had these big landmark civil rights bills that passed in the 1960s, but unfortunately, a lot of the discrimination that Martin Luther King Jr. cared about is still present in American life. Martin Luther King III has been involved in a lot of pushes for social justice," said Kyle Kondik with the UVA Center for Politics.

During his time with the Center for Politics, King will participate in university-wide lectures, be a guest lecturer at student seminars, and take part in other university and community events that will be announced in the future.