This civil rights pioneer was committed to social justice and peace...
Coretta Scott King
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Coretta Scott King was one of the most influential women leaders in our world. Prepared by her family, education, and personality for a life committed to social justice and peace, she entered the world stage in 1955 as wife of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and as a leading participant in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her remarkable partnership with Dr. King resulted not only in four children, who became dedicated to carrying forward their parent’s work, but also in a life devoted to the highest values of human dignity in service to social change.
Born and raised in Marion, Alabama, Coretta Scott graduated valedictorian from Lincoln High School. She received a B.A. in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then went on to study concert singing at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music, where she earned a degree in voice and violin. While in Boston she met Martin Luther King, Jr. who was then studying for his doctorate in systematic theology at Boston University. They were married on June 18, 1953, and in September 1954 took up residence in Montgomery, Alabama, with Coretta Scott King assuming the many responsibilities of pastor’s wife at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. |
After her husband’s assassination in 1968, Mrs. King founded and devoted great energy and commitment to building and developing programs for the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a living memorial to her husband’s life and dream. Situated in the Freedom Hall complex encircling Dr. King’s tomb, The King Center is today located inside of a 23-acre national historic park which includes his birth home, and which hosts over one million visitors a year.
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As founding President, Chair, and Chief Executive Officer, she dedicated herself to providing local, national and international programs that have trained tens of thousands of people in Dr. King’s philosophy and methods; she guided the creation and housing of the largest archives of documents from the Civil Rights Movement.
Perhaps her greatest legacy after establishing The King Center, Mrs. King spearheaded the massive educational and lobbying campaign to establish Dr. King’s birthday as a national holiday. |
Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964
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In 1983, an act of Congress instituted the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, which she chaired for its duration. And in January 1986, Mrs. King oversaw the first legal holiday in honor of her husband, a holiday which has come to be celebrated by millions of people world-wide and, in some form, in over 100 countries. Source: The King Center
"When God calls you to a great task, He provides you with the strength to accomplish what He has called you to do. Faith and prayer, family and friends were always available when I needed them…I learned that when you are willing to make sacrifices for a great cause, you will never be alone." — Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King Speaks Out in Posthumous Memoir: 'This Family Was Chosen' (ABC Nightline, 2017)
How & Where to Connect
The best way to connect with Mrs. King is to visit the King Center in Atlanta. Instructions for getting there are provided below.
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Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century.
Both a traditional memorial and programmatic nonprofit, the King Center was envisioned by its founder to be “no dead monument, but a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” That vision was carried out through educational and community programs until Mrs. King’s retirement in the mid-1990’s, and today it’s being revitalized. |
The Keeper of Dr. King's Legacy (People.com)
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Getting there...The King Center is located in the Sweet Auburn Historic District of Atlanta. It is directly across the street from the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. You should allow at least three hours to visit the King Center and the Park.
King Center 449 Auburn Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30312 Google Map The King Center is a 1/2-mile walk from the King Memorial MARTA station. |
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