Martin Luther King Jr. has a special place in not only America but the entire world’s history. The same can be said about his beloved wife, Coretta Scott King who had been by her revolutionary husband through every thick and thin of life. Whenever we talk of influential couples who lived purposeful lives, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King will always come to mind.
We all know about the impact that Mrs. King had on Dr. King’s life. She was a complete partner in his work, marching with him and giving speeches while caring for their four children in the background. The legacy that Dr. King left behind after his assassination in 1968, was carried forward by his able wife as she helped run the Poor People’s March in Washington, became the first woman to preach in Britain’s St Paul’s Cathedral and also instrumental in creating the Martin Luther King Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change.
As the entire world celebrates the legendary couple’s marriage anniversary, we try and take a look at their legacy as a couple.
Mrs. King used to be a wonderful soprano singer back in the day and won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of music in Boston. Co-incidentally Martin Luther King Jr. also used to study at the Boston University and was also in search of a companion. In his autobiography, Dr. King reveals that he asked a mutual friend, Mary Powell, to help him exchange their numbers. He recounts, “We met over the telephone… We talked awhile… Coretta agreed to see me… She talked about things other than music. I never will forget the first discussion we had was about the question of racial and economic injustice and the question of peace… After an hour, my mind was made up. I said, ‘So you can do something else besides sing? You've got a good mind also. You have everything I ever wanted in a woman. We ought to get married someday.”
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If you thought that Coretta agreed to Dr. King’s proposal in a go, you’re mistaken. According to a 2006 New York Times article, Mrs. King deliberated Dr. King’s proposal for around six months before saying yes. Coretta Scott King recalled, "He was looking for a wife. I wasn't looking for a husband, but he was a wonderful human being...I still resisted his overtures, but after he persisted, I had to pray about it...I had a dream, and in that dream, I was made to feel that I should allow myself to be open and stop fighting the relationship. That's what I did, and of course, the rest is history.”
Dr. and Mrs. King were married in Alabama on June 18, 1953. The marriage ceremony took place on the lawn of Scott's home in Marion, AL. The Reverend King, Sr., performed the service, with Mrs. Edythe Bagley, Coretta's sister, as maid of honor, and the Reverend A.D. King, the brother of Martin Luther King, Jr., as the best man. Coretta had the vow to obey her husband removed from the ceremony, which was very unusual for the 1950s. According to the New York Times, “the 350 guests, elegant big-city folks from Atlanta and rural neighbors from Alabama, made it the biggest wedding, white or black, the area had ever seen.”
(Image Courtesy: NY Times)
However, Mrs. King would soon realize that this was much more than the uniting of two people. When she married Dr. King, she didn’t marry a man; she married a movement. Mrs. King recalled: "After we married…I came to the realization that we had been thrust into the forefront of a movement to liberate oppressed people…and this movement had worldwide implications. I felt blessed to have been called to be a part of such a noble and historic cause."
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Later the Kings had four children- Yolanda Denise was born in 1955, Martin Luther III in 1957, Dexter Scott in 1961, and Bernice Albertine in 1963. Dr. and Mrs. King conflicted over what was to be her role in the movement. Dr. King wanted his wife to focus on raising their four children, while Mrs. King wanted to take on a more public leadership role. However, Mrs. King made sacrifices to support her husband’s vision, while keeping their children safe.
In an interview, Mrs. King said this about her husband, “Martin was an unusual person.... He was so alive and so much fun to be with. He had the strength that he imparted to me and others that he met.” In a 1967 interview, Dr. King said this about Mrs. King, "I didn't want a wife I couldn't communicate with. I had to have a wife who would be as dedicated as I was. I wish I could say that I led her down this path, but I must say we went down it together because she was as actively involved and concerned when we met as she is now… I am indebted to my wife Coretta, without whose love, sacrifices, and loyalty neither life nor work would bring fulfillment. She has given me words of consolation when I needed them and a well-ordered home where Christian love is a reality."
We praise the King family for their sacrifices and we are eternally grateful for their continued dedication to non-violence and equality for all.
(Image Courtesy: International Business Times)
(Feature Image Courtesy: WABE)
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