More Than A Wife; Coretta Scott King

More Than A Wife!

   Coretta Scott King; born April 27, 1927. She was best known as the wife of the infamous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but the titles that she held were far more impacting than the title of a wife. Mrs. King was an influential speaker, strong advocate for the civil rights movement, as well as an activists for women's rights. Mrs. King. Some may assume that her desire for these things came from her husband who was so passionate about these topics, but that’s not exactly the case, Coretta Scott King had an upbringing that provoked these ideas far before her marriage to Dr. King. Coretta grew up in a time when segregation was at its prime. Children went to different schools, people patronized establishments with different rules, people of color were in the back whether it be a bus, walking through doors, attending sporting events, and etc. As a young child, she attended a school that was about 5 miles away. The school was located in one small room at Crossroad School which was located in her hometown of Marlon, Alabama.  Her injustices began early. As she walked that long five miles every morning, she saw young white children having the privilege of catching a bus to school although their schools were closer to their homes. Coretta didn’t let these things affect her education; she continued to prosper while managing to be Valedictorian at her high school graduation and receiving a scholarship from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  

   In the midst of Coretta Scott King receiving her education she became involved with Civil Rights. As she proceeded to do so, she met her soon to be husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They continued to do their work and became heavily involved with the Rosa Parks event that has become a historical memory. Mrs. King’s participation in such events eventually gave her the title, “The First Lady Of Civil Rights”. As she progressed with her advocacy for civil rights, her passion for gender equality then became more apparent. She was a woman who had the pleasure to be the first to do a few things. Coretta was the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard University. She was also the first woman to preach at a statutory service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Along with those accomplishments she had the opportunity to serve as the Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Her impact was becoming global. Mrs. Coretta Scott King established over 100 organizations which included business, religion, labor, as well as civil and women's rights. The point of the organizations were to urge the rights for equality among all of those categories. As she continued her part she continued to be rewarded. In 1988, she served as head of the U.S. delegation of Women for a Meaningful Summit in Athens, Greece and in 1990, Mrs. King was co-convener of the Soviet-American Women’s Summit in Washington, DC.