Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) was an American civil rights activist, mother of 4 and the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Although she is known for being the
wife of MLK Jr., she established a distinguished career in activism in her own
right.

Working side-by-side with her husband throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Coretta took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, journeyed to Ghana to mark that nation’s independence in 1957, traveled to India on a pilgrimage in 1959 and worked to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, among other civil-rights-related work.

After her husband’s death, she founded the Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. The following year, a museum complex was dedicated on the site.
Additionally, she wrote regular articles on social issues and published a syndicated column, and was also a regular commentator on CNN (beginning in 1980).

In 1997, she called for a retrial for her husband’s alleged assassin, James Earl Ray (Ray died in prison before the trial on April 23, 1998). Coretta was also behind the
15-year fight to have her husband’s birthday instituted as a national
holiday—President Ronald Reagan finally signed the bill in 1983, thusly
creating “Martin Luther King Day.” Additionally, she published a memoir, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1969. She exudes grace, class, and leadership.