Coretta Scott King


Coretta Scott King was the widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., the 1960s American civil rights leader. She continued to work for equal rights for all people. King was born in Alabama in 1927. She and her family lived on a farm. She was a very good student and she loved music. She learned to play the piano, the trumpet, and the violin.

She also sang very well. In college, she studied music and education. In 1951, she went to Boston to study to become a professional singer. She met Martin Luther King in Boston. They were married in 1953 and had four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther III, Dexter, and Bernice. King helped her husband in his civil rights work. She often walked beside him in protest marches and gave speeches when he was away. Her husband was assassinated in 1968, but she kept leading protest marches and working for equal rights for all people.

In 1969, she wrote a book about her life with her husband called My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1969, King began to raise money to set up the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia. Because of her many years of hard work, the King Center is now part of a national historic park. It includes a museum. People from all over the world have studied at the King Center and millions have visited the park.

Her son Dexter is now the head of the center. King led a 15-year campaign for her husband’s birthday to be a U.S. national holiday. She achieved her goal in 1983. She was also involved in social justice and peace movements in Africa and other parts of the world. She had a private audience with the Pope. King was still very active until her death. She wrote articles on social justice and had her own newspaper column. She also went on TV to give her views on social justice issues. King died in her sleep in January, 2006.

 

Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions 

  1. What do you know about Martin Luther King, Jr.?
  2. Have you heard of the American civil rights movement?
  3. Is there racial equality in your country?
  4. What is the meaning of a non-violent protest?