Remembering Coretta Scott KingCoretta Scott King, the widow of slain civil rights icon
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died Jan. 31, at the age of 78. Her passing is sparking an outpouring of sympathy and fostering a collective sense of bereavement.
“The loss of Coretta Scott King is a monumental loss to the nation and the world at large,”
Rev. Al Sharpton said of the woman he referred to as ‘The First Lady of The Human Rights Movement,” this morning from his Times Square offices. “For those of us that were too young to get to know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. very well, we got to know Coretta Scott King as a compassionate, caring, yet firm matriarch of the movement for justice.”
“It's a bleak morning for me and for many people and yet it's a great morning because we have a chance to look at her and see what she did and who she was,” poet laureate
Maya Angelou said on ‘Good Morning America.’ “It's bleak because I can't — many of us can't hear her sweet voice — but it's great because she did live, and she was ours. I mean African-Americans and white Americans and Asians, Spanish-speaking — she belonged to us and that's a great thing."
“Coretta Scott King was a shining example of commitment and civic pride at its best,” Queen of Soul
Aretha Franklin told Black Voices. “After Dr. King’s passing, she continued on the same path they started out on and she never faltered one time. The world has truly lost a great lady and leader by example herself.”
“Our generation may never know a finer example of dignity, fortitude and dedication than Coretta Scott King,” BET Chairwoman and CEO
Debra Lee said. “As a woman, I particularly admired Mrs. King’s grace, strength and ongoing dedication to her cause. The civil rights legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also carries with it the impact and presence of Mrs. King. She was more than a wife, more than a partner for Dr. King. Mrs. King believed in the same dream of a society free of bigotry and racism as he did.” "This is a woman that had to deal with her house being bombed and her livelihood constantly threatened, and so she had to balance the safety of her husband and family," TV personality Judge Glenda Hatchett said via an email submitted by her independent publicist on Feb. 1. "The world owes her a debt of gratitude for her commitment, courage and dedication to the on-going struggle to arrive at peace and social equality."
“I just loved and admired Coretta Scott King so, her kindness, her keen intelligence and determination to protect her family and preserve Dr. King's legacy,” said
'Essence' magazine’s editorial director
Susan L. Taylor. “She wouldn't take no for an answer and was the driving force in raising the money and awareness needed to build the King Center in Atlanta as a living memorial to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And she too dedicated her life to non-violent social change, primarily to eradicating poverty and also to environmental issues, workers' rights and the rights of gays and lesbians. She was bold and fearless in her convictions.”
AOL coach and TV personality
Star Jones Reynolds said she was deeply saddened by the news of Scott King, whom she referred to as not only a passionate activist and leader in the civil rights struggle for all men and women of all races, “but she was also a strong and devoted wife and mother.”
“She was kind and gentle with impeccable grace and dignity, yet firm and strong and immovable under issues that she and her husband committed their lives to,’ Sharpton further reflected. “I would often say in her presence there wouldn’t have been a Martin Luther King and a civil rights movement without the quiet dignity of a Coretta Scott King that survived house bombings, threats, and even the assassination of her husband but kept the family together and kept the movement going. I will treasure the many moments I spent with her and will pray that she has found peace with God that eluded her on Earth. The only thing worse than losing her is if we had never had her.”
“Her unwavering dedication to the fight for peace and equality transformed the lives of millions and leaves a legacy that will live on forever,” Jones Reynolds added.
