Coretta Scott King
The wife to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Coretta Scott King was a solid supporter to her husband and individual force in the American Civil Rights Movement.
The mother of four traveled all over the world to advocate on behalf of racial and economic justice, women’s and children’s rights, gay and lesbian equality, environmental justice and a myriad of other social causes, according to The King Center.
After her husband was assassinated in 1968, King founded The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in honor of her husband’s dedication to the dream. Today, The King Center sits inside of a 23-acre national historic park which includes Dr. King’s birth home and attracts over one million visitors a year.
Through this initiative, Mrs. King provided local, national and international programs that have educated tens of thousands of people in Dr. King’s philosophy; she guided the creation and housing of the largest archives of documents from the Civil Rights Movement; and she spearheaded the campaign to establish Dr. King’s birthday as a national holiday. Coretta Scott King died in 2006 and is buried beside her husband at The King Center.