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Meet the Female Martin Luther King: Coretta Scott King

  • Writer: guidetopw
    guidetopw
  • Jun 7, 2020
  • 5 min read

Updated: Jun 28, 2020

Whenever we think of fighting against inequality and ending injustice, our minds automatically think of Martin Luther King Jr. But just like any other person, Martin Luther King Jr. also has his back story. The back story that led his movements and efforts to success consists of his wife, Coretta Scott King. Coretta is less known when compared to Martin Luther King Jr., but she is just as prominent and successful if not more than her husband. Meet the female Martin Luther King.

  • King’s background and childhood

  • The Civil Rights Movement and her involvement

  • Why Coretta S. King is different from other social activists

  • What being an activist as a woman was like

  • Why her work was so impactful


Who was she?

Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927 in Alabama and she grew up to be a very successful woman because she was consistently the top of her class, and is considered to be “one of the most brilliant people to ever exist.” Her academic success led her to continue to study in Antioch College in Ohio and later she studied in the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1951 after she received a scholarship. Coincidentally, one of the most important events in her life happened in Boston where she met her husband Martin Luther King, when studying for a graduate degree in theology.


What is her significance, and why is she well respected?

Well, both Coretta and her husband were social activists that fought against social injustice, and they both wanted equality for everyone, so throughout her life many of her important events were protests as a Civil Rights Activist. One of her first protests was the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 when African Americans started protests and refused to ride buses because they wanted to get rid of segregated seating. Her support for the boycott showed her support for equality and fighting for the rights of African Americans, after the incident with Rosa Parks. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, she also participated in the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Throughout her life, she supported the movements that fought for African American rights, and she was inspired by her husband to continue their legacy of fighting against inequality, so even after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, she founded King Center (Center for Nonviolent Social Change) in Atlanta.


How is she different from other social activists?

Other than just contributing to her husband’s legacy and building on his legacy, Coretta loved to write. She wrote many memoirs and books that talked about her struggles in life, what she faced, and what she wanted to change in the world. Some of her stories and writings include: Memoir: My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1969, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Companion: Quotations from the Speeches, Essays, and Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1998, and a memoir called My Life, My Love, My Legacy, in 2017 that was released in 2017 based on interviews that Coretta had with Barbara Reynolds.


Even though she was a successful social activist, she did not let that get in the way of her writing about her memories and establishing awards for African Americans to extend her legacy and contribute to the fight for equality. She established an Annual Coretta Scott King Award to honor African Americans for their contributions to society and she gave them to people that she believed made a difference in the world. For example, her love for writing did not stop her from going past publishing, but also awarding other authors for writing outstanding texts for children and being an African American illustrator in 1969 and 1979 respectively.


Coretta Scott King was an amazing author and social activist who established prizes, awards, and movements that would help her fight for social equality. Her efforts in helping African Americans and giving them what they deserve earned her the Gandhi Peace Prize as well.


A Women Social Activist

Coretta was a prominent figure not just because of the protests that she led, and not just because she was the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. She was respected as a woman hero because even though her husband died and left her with four children, her motherhood did not stop her from continuing her family’s legacy of fighting for equality. Coretta’s main goal was to make sure that people were not being “judged by the color of their skin but solely by the content of their character.” Her role as a writer, social activist, women’s rights activist, and mother collectively show her success because her work was not only respected in the US, but internationally among other countries such as India, Italy, and England. She was the first woman to achieve her husband’s legacy and she even preached at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.


Her legacy did not stop at fighting for equality for African Americans, but also rights for women because of her belief that “women that work together can fight the evils of racism, poverty, and war.


The Impact of Her Legacy

Coretta Scott King unfortunately died on January 30, 2006, but thankfully her efforts did not go in vain. Her fight to stop injustice was respected all over the country and the world, and many prominent figures visited her because of the sacrifices she made and the motivation she had to fight for equality. Her acts inspired others and continue to be inspirational even today. As recent as 2017, she was discussed in a case because of a statement that she had made, and her quote was read by Elizabeth Warren in the federal court. Her legacy continues to influence future generations all over the world because of what she fought for, and her children took up her work and continue to fight for what she believed in. Coretta Scott King is credited with being a successful and influential social activist that earned herself many awards, and an amazing author that wrote about her experiences. Her ability to succeed as a woman and mother deserves respect which is well received as viewed by her achievements.


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