On January 30, 2006, the world lost yet another fighter. She was an author, an activist, a fighter and a civil rights leader.
Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., was born on April 27, 1927. It was a life filled with struggles — for justice, equality and rights. . A week before she passed away Coretta made her last public appearance in Atlanta, the U.S. at a dinner that was held to honour her husband’s memory.
Coretta had said she wanted her remains to lie next to her husband’s at the King Center. So, on November 20, when the new mausoleum was ready, the bodies of the Kings were interred there.
The beginning
Coretta was the third of four children. Her parents, Obadiah “Obie” Scott and Bernice Mcmurry Scott lived in Marion, Alabama in the U.S. Obie was the first black person in their neighbourhood to own a truck. He and his wife ran a barber shop from their home and later opened a general store. He also owned a lumber mill. This mill was burned down by his white neighbours because he refused to sell it to a white logger. Coretta’s parents were the first generation of free people.
According to her brother, Coretta tried to excel in everything she did. It was while she was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston that she met Martin Luther King Jr. She faced several incidents of racism while in college. Hence, it was an issue that was close to her heart. She knew she had to stand up for what was right, to raise her voice against the injustice meted out to the black people and to fight for their rights.
Meeting Martin Luther King Jr. was a reaffirmation of her own belief and faith. She joined him in his struggles. And in 1968, when he was assassinated, Coretta took on the leadership of the struggle. She said that his spirit would never die. She became active in the Women’s Movement and also founded the King Center. This centre was established in 1969 as the official memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy and ideas of Martin Luther King Jr.
Coretta appealed to establish a national holiday on the birth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. She finally succeeded when Ronald Reagan was the President and he signed the legislation establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
She received several awards during her life time. Posthumously, she was awarded Congressional Gold Medal. Coretta was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009. She was often referred to as the “First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement”.
Her call to women “to unite and form a solid block of women power to fight the three great evils of racism, poverty and war” stands true and relevant even today.
Her book titled My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1969 is a personal inspirational account of the civil rights movement.
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