Title: Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
ALGOREismylife - January 31, 2006 06:21 PM (GMT)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1560208
Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
Widow of Martin Luther King Jr. Dedicated Her Life to Carrying on His Legacy
Jan. 31, 2006 — - Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., has died. She was 78.
Scott King was admitted to Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital on Aug. 16, 2005, suffering from a stroke that left her weakened on her right side, unable to walk, and barely able to speak.
Family Blazed Trails
Coretta Scott was born April 27, 1927, on a farm in Heiberger, Ala. Though the family owned the land, it was often a hardscrabble life. The young Coretta, her sister, Edythe, and brother, Obie, all had to pick cotton during the Depression to help the family make ends meet.
The Scott family was resourceful and blazed trails for blacks in its small corner of the world. Her father, Obediah, was the first black person in the area to own a truck, and he eventually opened a country store. Her mother, Bernice, hired a bus to drive all the black children to and from Lincoln High School -- nine miles from Heiberger.
An intelligent and hardworking student, Scott King played trumpet and piano, and graduated from Lincoln High at the top of her class in 1945. She followed her older sister to Antioch College in Ohio, where Edythe had been the first full-time black student to live on campus.
At Antioch, Scott King majored in music and education. When she graduated, she decided she wanted to pursue music instead of teaching. She received a scholarship to study violin and voice at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she met her future husband, Martin Luther King Jr., who was studying theology at Boston University.
The Kings were married in 1953, and the following year, they moved to Montgomery, Ala., where King began his ministry.
Civil Rights Activists
Scott King spent much of her life devoted to raising their four children -- Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott and Bernice Albertine -- and to supporting her husband's work in the civil rights movement.
Scott King was often seen beside her husband during freedom marches, traveling abroad and giving speeches. Though she had essentially retired from her music career, she conceived of and performed in the Freedom Concerts, which combined the poetry, stories and music of the civil rights movement.
Scott King became an activist in her own right, as well, carrying messages of international peace and economic justice to organizations around the world. She was the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard University and the first woman to preach during a service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
When King was assassinated outside a motel room in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, Scott King channeled her grief into action. Days later, she led a march through the streets of Memphis, and later that year took his place as a leader of the Poor People's March in Washington, D.C.
Scott King continued working for equality, peace and economic justice for the remainder of her life, both in the United States and abroad. Her travels took her to Latin America to speak out against poverty, South Africa to fight apartheid, and back to Washington, D.C., to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic March on Washington with a second massive gathering of human rights groups.
Honoring Martin
Scott King also devoted much of her time to developing the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a memorial to her husband's life and dreams. Scott King served as the center's leader until 1995, when she turned over the helm to her son Dexter.
She also led the campaign to make King's birthday, Jan. 15, a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986.
Scott King focused much of her energy during the last decade of her life on AIDS awareness and curbing gun violence.
Condolences
President Bush expressed sadness and sent his condolences to the King family.
"Mrs. King was a remarkable and courageous woman, and a great civil rights leader," Bush said in a statement. "Mrs. King's lasting contributions to freedom and equality have made America a better and more compassionate nation."
Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
Widow of Martin Luther King Jr. Dedicated Her Life to Carrying on His Legacy
Jan. 31, 2006 — - Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., has died. She was 78.
Scott King was admitted to Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital on Aug. 16, 2005, suffering from a stroke that left her weakened on her right side, unable to walk, and barely able to speak.
Family Blazed Trails
Coretta Scott was born April 27, 1927, on a farm in Heiberger, Ala. Though the family owned the land, it was often a hardscrabble life. The young Coretta, her sister, Edythe, and brother, Obie, all had to pick cotton during the Depression to help the family make ends meet.
The Scott family was resourceful and blazed trails for blacks in its small corner of the world. Her father, Obediah, was the first black person in the area to own a truck, and he eventually opened a country store. Her mother, Bernice, hired a bus to drive all the black children to and from Lincoln High School -- nine miles from Heiberger.
An intelligent and hardworking student, Scott King played trumpet and piano, and graduated from Lincoln High at the top of her class in 1945. She followed her older sister to Antioch College in Ohio, where Edythe had been the first full-time black student to live on campus.
At Antioch, Scott King majored in music and education. When she graduated, she decided she wanted to pursue music instead of teaching. She received a scholarship to study violin and voice at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she met her future husband, Martin Luther King Jr., who was studying theology at Boston University.
The Kings were married in 1953, and the following year, they moved to Montgomery, Ala., where King began his ministry.
Civil Rights Activists
Scott King spent much of her life devoted to raising their four children -- Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott and Bernice Albertine -- and to supporting her husband's work in the civil rights movement.
Scott King was often seen beside her husband during freedom marches, traveling abroad and giving speeches. Though she had essentially retired from her music career, she conceived of and performed in the Freedom Concerts, which combined the poetry, stories and music of the civil rights movement.
Scott King became an activist in her own right, as well, carrying messages of international peace and economic justice to organizations around the world. She was the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard University and the first woman to preach during a service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
When King was assassinated outside a motel room in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, Scott King channeled her grief into action. Days later, she led a march through the streets of Memphis, and later that year took his place as a leader of the Poor People's March in Washington, D.C.
Scott King continued working for equality, peace and economic justice for the remainder of her life, both in the United States and abroad. Her travels took her to Latin America to speak out against poverty, South Africa to fight apartheid, and back to Washington, D.C., to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic March on Washington with a second massive gathering of human rights groups.
Honoring Martin
Scott King also devoted much of her time to developing the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a memorial to her husband's life and dreams. Scott King served as the center's leader until 1995, when she turned over the helm to her son Dexter.
She also led the campaign to make King's birthday, Jan. 15, a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986.
Scott King focused much of her energy during the last decade of her life on AIDS awareness and curbing gun violence.
Condolences
President Bush expressed sadness and sent his condolences to the King family.
"Mrs. King was a remarkable and courageous woman, and a great civil rights leader," Bush said in a statement. "Mrs. King's lasting contributions to freedom and equality have made America a better and more compassionate nation."
Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
earthmother - February 1, 2006 05:25 PM (GMT)
A brave and wonderful woman. May she rest in peace . . .
Some photos of our President with Mrs. King:
January 1998
July 1998
Some photos of our President with Mrs. King:
January 1998
July 1998
ap215 - February 2, 2006 04:30 PM (GMT)
RIP Coretta we'll miss you. :(
ALGOREismylife - February 5, 2006 02:34 AM (GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/04/coretta.sat.ap/index.html
Crowds greet coffin of Coretta Scott King
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- When Janann Ransom arrived at Georgia's Capitol, about 1,400 people had already lined up in a cold, gusty wind to pay tribute to civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. But Ransom was undeterred.
"She's worth it," Ransom said. "She stood in line for me, her and her husband, when I couldn't."
Thousands of mourners poured into Georgia Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the first woman and the first black person to lie in honor in a statehouse that was once a seat of segregation.
Capitol Police estimated 10,000 people in less than three hours had passed briskly within about 5 feet of the open casket in the marble Rotunda, where King lay in her pink suit. Gloria Mavins, 52, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, said she was deeply moved.
"I felt like I wanted to bow down right there and just thank her," Mavins said.
The bronze casket had been carried through the streets of Atlanta on a horse-drawn carriage before being ushered into the Capitol by an honor guard of the Georgia State Patrol. The crowd outside cheered and threw roses as the casket went by.
"It was beautiful," said Robert Washington, 40, just after the glass-walled carriage arrived at the Capitol steps.
Georgia's flag, which Mrs. King had helped change to remove the Confederate Cross, flew at half staff.
Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife Mary escorted the casket into the statehouse, a sharp contrast to the official snub afforded Martin Luther King Jr. nearly four decades ago by segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox.
"Coretta Scott King was a gracious and courageous woman, an inspiration to millions and one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time," Perdue said during a brief ceremony. "She was absolutely an anchor and support for her husband."
King's four children -- Yolanda, Dexter, Martin Luther King III and Bernice -- spent a few minutes at the open casket before the doors were thrown open to the public. Yolanda King stroked her mother's face, and she and her sister Bernice wiped away tears.
"While we claim her, she was their momma," Perdue said of the King children. "It's hard to give up your momma."
King, the "first lady of the civil rights movement," died Monday at the age of 78.
A soloist sang the hymn "Blessed Assurance" which echoed in the cavernous marble hall.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the first black woman to lead the city, said she owed her career to King. "I would not be here without her," Franklin said.
The largely black crowd came pushing strollers, leaning on walkers and dressed in military camouflage. Some made the sign of the cross as they moved past the casket.
Raymond Dutrieuille, of Duluth, Georgia, came with his wife, Nena, and 2-year-old son Raylin, "to experience part of history."
Some had traveled far. Chris Thomas, 50, came from New Haven, Connecticut, to see the procession. Connie Havis, 43, and her friend Caprice Wofford, 39, drove down from Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday morning.
"She looked beautiful," Havis said.
In 1968, then-Gov. Maddox ignored Martin Luther King Jr.'s death and refused to authorize a public tribute. He was outraged at the idea of state flags, then dominated by the Confederate Cross, flying at half-staff in tribute to a black man.
But immediately after Coretta Scott King died, the state flag was ordered lowered by Perdue.
Coretta Scott King died in Mexico at an alternative medicine clinic, where doctors said she was battling advanced ovarian cancer. She also had been recovering from a serious stroke and heart attack. In January, she made her first public appearance in a year on the eve of her late husband's birthday.
For most of Monday, King's casket will lie in Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her husband preached in the years before his death. Her funeral will be held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, where the Kings' youngest child, Bernice, is a minister.
Few details had been released about the funeral, including who will deliver the eulogy.
President Bush, who will attend the service with the first lady, is expected to make remarks during the service, according to the White House.
Crowds greet coffin of Coretta Scott King
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- When Janann Ransom arrived at Georgia's Capitol, about 1,400 people had already lined up in a cold, gusty wind to pay tribute to civil rights leader Coretta Scott King. But Ransom was undeterred.
"She's worth it," Ransom said. "She stood in line for me, her and her husband, when I couldn't."
Thousands of mourners poured into Georgia Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the first woman and the first black person to lie in honor in a statehouse that was once a seat of segregation.
Capitol Police estimated 10,000 people in less than three hours had passed briskly within about 5 feet of the open casket in the marble Rotunda, where King lay in her pink suit. Gloria Mavins, 52, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, said she was deeply moved.
"I felt like I wanted to bow down right there and just thank her," Mavins said.
The bronze casket had been carried through the streets of Atlanta on a horse-drawn carriage before being ushered into the Capitol by an honor guard of the Georgia State Patrol. The crowd outside cheered and threw roses as the casket went by.
"It was beautiful," said Robert Washington, 40, just after the glass-walled carriage arrived at the Capitol steps.
Georgia's flag, which Mrs. King had helped change to remove the Confederate Cross, flew at half staff.
Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife Mary escorted the casket into the statehouse, a sharp contrast to the official snub afforded Martin Luther King Jr. nearly four decades ago by segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox.
"Coretta Scott King was a gracious and courageous woman, an inspiration to millions and one of the most influential civil rights leaders of our time," Perdue said during a brief ceremony. "She was absolutely an anchor and support for her husband."
King's four children -- Yolanda, Dexter, Martin Luther King III and Bernice -- spent a few minutes at the open casket before the doors were thrown open to the public. Yolanda King stroked her mother's face, and she and her sister Bernice wiped away tears.
"While we claim her, she was their momma," Perdue said of the King children. "It's hard to give up your momma."
King, the "first lady of the civil rights movement," died Monday at the age of 78.
A soloist sang the hymn "Blessed Assurance" which echoed in the cavernous marble hall.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the first black woman to lead the city, said she owed her career to King. "I would not be here without her," Franklin said.
The largely black crowd came pushing strollers, leaning on walkers and dressed in military camouflage. Some made the sign of the cross as they moved past the casket.
Raymond Dutrieuille, of Duluth, Georgia, came with his wife, Nena, and 2-year-old son Raylin, "to experience part of history."
Some had traveled far. Chris Thomas, 50, came from New Haven, Connecticut, to see the procession. Connie Havis, 43, and her friend Caprice Wofford, 39, drove down from Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday morning.
"She looked beautiful," Havis said.
In 1968, then-Gov. Maddox ignored Martin Luther King Jr.'s death and refused to authorize a public tribute. He was outraged at the idea of state flags, then dominated by the Confederate Cross, flying at half-staff in tribute to a black man.
But immediately after Coretta Scott King died, the state flag was ordered lowered by Perdue.
Coretta Scott King died in Mexico at an alternative medicine clinic, where doctors said she was battling advanced ovarian cancer. She also had been recovering from a serious stroke and heart attack. In January, she made her first public appearance in a year on the eve of her late husband's birthday.
For most of Monday, King's casket will lie in Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her husband preached in the years before his death. Her funeral will be held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, where the Kings' youngest child, Bernice, is a minister.
Few details had been released about the funeral, including who will deliver the eulogy.
President Bush, who will attend the service with the first lady, is expected to make remarks during the service, according to the White House.