Coretta Scott King: More Than Martin's Widow

Feb. 7, 2006 — -- As the nation says goodbye to Coretta Scott King today, admirers will remember her as more than the widow of a civil rights icon. She will be remembered as an activist who not only carried on her husband's legacy but forged her own legacy of peace, tolerance and understanding.

"With Coretta Scott King, you run into the wife-widow problem," said William Jelani Cobb, professor of history at Spelman College in Atlanta. "Yes, she was Martin Luther King's widow, but it tends to obscure the activism she had. She held freedom concerts to raise money for the civil rights movement before Martin was even in the picture. She was involved in an array of arenas for the betterment of our society."

Martin talked about the three factors [threatening society]: race, poverty and war. But Coretta added the oppression of women. She fought not only for civil rights but for the rights of women. She also chided the black community for ignoring problem of HIV/AIDS. She was at the forefront of many different issues."

King died Jan. 30 at age 78 from pneumonia, which resulted from complications due to ovarian cancer. Her four children were shocked by her death and thought that she was making steps toward recovery from cancer at an alternative medical clinic in Mexico. Though she was diagnosed in November, an autopsy showed she suffered from the disease for a year and a half. King also suffered a stroke and heart attack last year.

As the wife of Martin Luther King Jr., she was considered the first lady of the civil rights movement and took up his cause after he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968. King spoke out on every issue, from gay rights to gender equality. She and three of her children were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington for protesting apartheid in 1985.

"I would have to say that her legacy was a legacy of love and coalition bridge building," said the Rev. Martin Luther King III. "She taught us as children how to love, but also how to forgive. … And also creating a consciousness so that other countries in the world … and the final thing is the whole concept of nonviolence. In fact, our father often said our mother taught him in terms of being involved in the peace movement because she was involved even before they met."

Coretta Scott King founded the King Center in 1968 as a living memorial to her husband and his belief in attaining social justice through nonviolence. The center, located in Atlanta, features exhibits that illustrate his life and philosophy.