A Tribute to Coretta Scott King

How can we think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr without thinking about the poised and respectful Coretta Scott King? She was more than elegant and graceful. She was a woman who was determined to keep the dream alive. She was a woman who scarified her dream of becoming a classical concert singer to take on the dream of a people.

Coretta Scott was born on April 27,1927 in Heiberger Alabama to the parents of Bernice and Obie Scott. Coretta's roots were very strong in music and church. She grew up in Mt.Tabor A.M.E. Zion Church where both of her parents served in many ways. One of her mother's roles was church pianist for the choir. This gave Coretta's beautiful voice a chance to be heard. She often sang solos.

Coretta was not a stranger to hard work. She started her first job at the age of ten. She would work in the fields using the hoe to make long rows. When she was done she would also pick cotton. She was such a diligent worker, she would pick more cotton than some of her male cousins who accompanied her. No doubt this type of work taught Coretta how to endure life's ups and downs and how to hold her own. It taught her how to straighten her back and stand tall.

At the age of fifteen she was director of the children's choir. Coretta always had a passion for music and realized that what ever she did in her life music would play an important part.

Coretta received a scholarship at Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio. She was also able to join the NAACP Chapter and Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committee. Coretta had an opportunity to sing on a program with Paul Roberson at an NAACP event. It was there she decided to change her major from Early Childhood Education to studying voice full-time. Mr. Roberson gave her some words of encouragement and she embraced the decision.

In 1951 Coretta was advised by the staff of the head of the music department to apply for admission to Boston's New England Conservatory of Music and another school. She was accepted at N.E.C.M. and had plans to concentrate in voice while pursing a music degree.

In 1952, she was introduced to a young man name Martin Luther King Jr. He was a preacher pursing his Ph. D. at Boston. On June 18, 1953 the two were married. They lived in Montgomery Alabama where she served her role as the pastor's wife at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The two of them had four children.

In 1955 Coretta and Martin were thrusted into the lime light. This was during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She played a great role in the American Civil Rights Movement. She unselfishly gave her time to being a great wife. mother, dealing with the civil right issues and speaking at many events. She also had a lot of performances that combined concerts and prose to help raise funds for the different organizations that her husband spearheaded.

After her husband's death Coretta could have faded into the background. She had every right to go back and dedicate all of her time to raising her children, but she refused to surrender. She stepped up and the day before his funeral she led the sanitation march he had gone to Memphis to support.

She continued to give her voice to promoting social justice and she did until her death. She was dedicated to maintaining Dr. King's legacy by giving her time and energy to developing a center for nonviolent social change as a commemorative to her husband's nonviolent beliefs. For twenty-seven years Mrs. King remained faithful to nurturing the King Center. She dedicated herself to providing local, national and international programs that has trained astronomical amounts of people in Dr.Kings nonviolence methods.

Mrs. King was fortunate enough to live to see her husband's birthday established as a national holiday, mainly through her hard work and determination. During her lifetime Coretta had made sure that her husband's dream lived on. She has carried his message all across the globe. All of her achievements and awards are too numerous to name. She has stood toe to toe with Heads of State including Prime Ministers, Presidents and Spiritual Leaders. However she has also been in the trenches leading picket lines and has also aided mothers seeking welfare rights.

This woman was an extraordinary woman of grace and dignity. She showed us how to sacrifice for the good of humanity. She was more than a devoted wife, mother, civil right activist and author. She is and will always be a vital brick in the wall of America's History. We salute you Coretta Scott King.