Coretta+Scott+King

  Coretta Scott King (April 27, 1927-January 30, 2006) **Background **     Recognized as the devoted and resilient wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King had an amazing and influential life of her own. Her life began in Heiberger, Alabama, where she was born to farmers Obadiah Scott and Bernice Scott. She had two siblings who were named Obie and Edythe. Because of segregation, she was forced to walk to a distant, run-down school, while her white counterparts rode a bus to a better school in a more convenient location. King attended a private high school called [|Lincoln High School] . During this time, she picked cotton and did maid work to support herself. She was a strong student, especially in the area of music, and she graduated at the top of her class in 1945.         <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Upon receiving a scholarship, Scott continued her studies at [|Antioch College] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">, where her older sister had pursued her higher education. There, her interest in the Civil Rights Movement began. The events taking place at that time inspired her to join the college's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( [|NAACP] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">) chapter. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music and Education in 1949 and went on to get a Master's Degree in Voice and Violin at the [|New England Conservatory of Music] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. She had one a fellowship to continue her education there, but she still had to work, this time as a maid and a mail order clerk. Scott met Dr. King during this time, who was pursuing a doctorate degree in theology at [|Boston University] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. They were married on June 18, 1953 by Martin Luther King, Sr. Notably, Mrs. King opted not to include the vow to obey her husband. They had four children together: Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott, and Bernice Albertine. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">   <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> Career Highlights **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">During the beginning of her married life, Coretta Scott King stayed out of the limelight for the most part. Her husband had become a pastor at [|Dexter Avenue Baptist Church]. Times of leisure abruptly ended with the turn of events that accompanied the Civil Rights Movement, notably the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired by Rosa Parks, of which Dr. King was chosen to be a leader. To her husband's slight dismay, Mrs. King refused to stand on the sidelines. She spoke on the behalf of not only African Americans, but also other racial minorities, women, and homosexuals and advocated equality for all. She spoke before colleges, peace groups, and church congregations. Though she had given up singing as a career, King was able to make good use of her musical training by participating in Freedom Concerts, which exhibited music selections, poetry, and speeches. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">The couple's voyages to various world sites, particularly their honeymoon in Mexico in 1958, showed them that poverty should also be something that they reproached. After learning of the peaceful ways of Mahatma Ghandi, Dr. King inveighed against the Vietnam War in 1967, but not before his wife served as a mediator between public officials as a leader of many peace organizations. She even ventured to Switzerland as a Women's Strike for Peace delegate to a Disarmament Conference. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Coretta Scott King's service to America did not end with her husband's assassination in 1968; she did not want to see his work left unfinished by the tragedy. She took his place in supporting striking garbage workers in Tennessee. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">She sought to inspire many people, particularly women, to help her in the battle against war, racism, and poverty. She was the driving force behind making her husband’s birthday a national holiday. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">The effort was awarded in 1986. In 1984, Mrs. King established the [|Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change]in Atlanta. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">This 23-acre site includes a Freedom Hall, which encircles Dr. King’s tomb; his childhood home, a museum, and a library of his writings. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Coretta Scott King continued delivering speeches for people all over the world and wrote numerous books and newspaper columns. Today, one of the highest literary awards to receive is the Coretta Scott King Award, which has been won by such authors as Toni Morrison, Sharon Draper, Sharon Flake, and Christopher Paul Curtis. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">   <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">**<span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Most Salient Contribution **    <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">    <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Coretta Scott King was not a wallflower, nor was she simply an extension of her husband's triumphs. She was a notable Civil Rights leader in her own right. She selflessly fought to improve the lives of many people, not just African Americans. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Of her many achievements her greatest would have to be the creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. It is the first institution built to honor an African American Leader. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Today, it acts as “a living monument” to Dr. King and his wife, and over 600,000 visit the site annually. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">

__<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Works Cited __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family: 'times new roman'; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  Evans/The New York Times, Michael. __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  Coretta Scott King    __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 27 Apr. 1968. __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  The New York Times    __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 2006. The New York Times Company. 19 Feb. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">        2009 <    http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/01/31/obituaries/31cnd-king.2.html    >. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family: 'times new roman'; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family: 'times new roman'; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> Joseph, Dr. Eric. "The Life of Mrs. Coretta Scott King." __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">The Gazette __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 08 Feb 2006. Langston University. 12 Feb 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">http://media.www.lugazette.com/media/storage/paper816/news/2006/02/08/LuVoices/The-Life.Of.Mrs.Coretta.Scott.King-1603027-page2.shtml <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family: 'times new roman'; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">"Coretta Scott King Biography." __ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Academy of Achievement __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 07 Jan 2008. Museum of Living History. 9 Feb 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/kin1bio-1 <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">"Coretta Scott King Dies at 78." __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">Embassy of the United States of America: Montevido, Uruguay __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 31 Jan 2006. U.S. Department of the State. 12 Feb 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">http://montevideo.usembassy.gov/usaweb/paginas/2006/06-036EN.shtml <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">  <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">"Coretta Scott King Quotes." __ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">BrainyQuote __ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 2009. BrainyMedia.com. 19 Feb 2009 < http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/coretta_scott_king.html <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">"King, Coretta Scott (1927-2006)." __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">King Encyclopedia __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. Stanford University. 08 Feb 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/king_coretta_scott.htm <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">"Mrs. Coretta Scott King: Human Rights Activist and Leader." __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">thekingcenter.org __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">. 2004. The King Center. 10 Feb 2009 < <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">http://www.thekingcenter.org/csk/bio.html <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif;">>.