- Coretta Scott King, the spouse of Dr. Martin Luther King, was a prominent advocate in the American civil rights movement.
- An impressive monument, standing at 20 feet tall, was built to honor the legacies of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King at the nation’s oldest public park, more than fifty years after their deaths.
- Named “The Embrace,” the sculpture symbolizes the embrace shared by the couple in 1964 after Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Coretta met Martin Luther King Jr. while pursuing a degree in voice at Boston University, where he was a graduate student in theology.
- Five months later, she passed away due to complications from ovarian cancer, leading to respiratory failure.
Coretta Scott King, the spouse of Dr. Martin Luther King, was a champion for civil rights in America.
Following her education at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Coretta Scott enrolled at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music in 1951.
Despite facing some criticism, Martin Luther King III, the child of civil rights activists Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, expressed satisfaction and gratitude for the new monument dedicated to his parents in Boston on January 16th, 2023.
In a touching ceremony, a 20-foot-tall monument celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King was placed in Boston’s oldest public park.
Named “The Embrace”, this 19-ton bronze sculpture represents the hug shared between the couple in 1964 when Dr. King was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
Created by the Walla Walla Foundry in Washington, it was then transported to Boston where it now serves as a reminder of their significant impact on the fight for civil rights in America.
To further honor their sacrifice, Boston museums have organized several events around Dr. King’s anniversary, aiming to inspire future generations of advocates for social change with the newly installed memorial.
How did Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King first meet?
Coretta met Martin Luther King Jr. while studying music at Boston University as he pursued his graduate studies in theology.
The couple got married in 1953 and had 4 children.
After completing their education, the Kings moved to Montgomery, Alabama, as Martin Luther King had accepted a position as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church there.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Coretta Scott King supported her husband in his civil rights efforts, actively participating in the Montgomery bus boycott and the campaign for the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Even after the conviction of James Earl Ray for her husband’s murder in 1968 and her subsequent assassination, she continued to be involved in the civil rights movement.
She established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, also known as the King Center, in Atlanta, which was managed by her son Dexter until the beginning of the 21st century.
In the late 1990s, she faced criticism for the family’s attempt to sell some of King’s documents.
Coretta suffered a stroke in August 2005 that left her right side paralyzed and rendered her unable to speak. Five months later, she passed away due to complications from ovarian cancer resulting in respiratory failure.
Approximately 10,000 individuals attended her funeral, including former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.
Prior to her final rest beside her husband, she was temporarily laid to rest on the King Center grounds.
She became the first African American to lie in state at the Georgia State Capitol and was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.
