Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King was born Coretta Scott and had an early interest in education and music. She attained a BA in music and music education from Antioch College and a Bachelor of Music in music education from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music. It was while in Boston that Mrs. King met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and they married in 1953. In 1954 she and her family settled in Montgomery, Alabama where she both helped to raise their four children and served as an advisor and activist with Dr. King. In 1957 both her and her husband traveled around the world visiting freedom movements, in 1958 they went to Mexico, and in 1959 they went to India to speak with Gandhi. Mrs. King was also with her husband in Oslo, Norway when he received his Nobel Peace Prize. Her musical background helped her in her activism as she organized concerts for fundraising for the civil rights movement. Mrs. King was also involved in many types of activism throughout her life including religious freedom, gun control, LGTBQ+ rights, abolishing apartheid in South Africa, and others. In 1974 she served as Co-chair of the National Committee for Full Employment and the Full Employment Action Council. In 1983 she formed the Coalition of Conscience and the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington in which she aimed to create a holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King. In 1987 she led the National Mobilization Against Fear and Intimidation in Forsyth County. She would go on to lead and participate in many organizations and meet with many leaders around the globe. In 2006 she was the first African American to lay in honor in the rotunda of the Georgia capitol after her death.