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CORETTA SCOTT KING 
Coretta Scott was born on her parents farm at Heiberger, near Marion, in Perry County on April, 27, 1927. She attended Lincoln High School and graduated valedictorian in 1945. She received a bachelor of arts degree in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then went on to study concert singing at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
While she was in Boston, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. who was studying for his doctorate at Boston University. They were married on June 18, 1953, and in 1954, they moved to Montgomery when Dr. King became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist church. The couple had four children, Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther, Dexter Scott and Bernice Albertine. As her husband became increasingly prominent, she supported his work and often accompanied when he spoke. Sometimes she would speak if he was not available. But after Martin Luther King was murdered in 1968, she stepped more fully onto the public stage. In her autobiography she said that she felt compelled to carry on the civil rights movement. In 1969, she founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, which is in the center of the area where Dr. King grew up. She also campaigned for a national holiday to celebrate her husband's birthday, which has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since 1986. During the 1980s, she was one of the leading figures in the campaign against apartheid. She participated in a number of sit-in protests in Washington, D.C. and in 1985, she was arrested with three of her children for protesting outside the South African Embassy. She also traveled to South Africa and met with Winnie Mandela. She was a long-time advocate for world peace and was a vocal opponent of the United States invasion of Iraq. She also fought for women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, and AIDS/HIV prevention. She was also a supporter of same-sex marriages. She was hospitalized by a stroke and mild heart attack on August 16, 2005. On January 14, 2006, she made her last public appearance at a dinner in Atlanta to honor her husband's memory. She died late in the evening of January 30, 2006, in Rosarito Beach, Mexico where she was undergoing rehabilitation for her stroke. Her funeral took place on February 7, 2006, at the New Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia and was attended by 14,000 people, including four U.S. Presidents. Her permanent resting place will be next to her husband's at the King Center. Sources And Links To Other Coretta Scott King Internet Resources: Wikipedia - Coretta Scott King. BBC News - Obituary: Coretta Scott King. Academy of Achievement - Coretta Scott King. The King Center - Coretta Scott King. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
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